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WEBSTER,  iY.  MSSO 
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CIHM/ICMH 

Microfiche 

Series. 


CIHM/ICMH 
Collection  de 
microfiches. 


Canadian  Institute  for  Historical  Microreproductions  /  Institut  Canadian  de  microreprod^  ctions  historiques 


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©1984 


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Technical  and  Bibliographic  Notas/Notas  tachniquas  at  bibliographiquas 


The  Institute  has  attempted  to  obtain  the  best 
original  copy  available  for  filming.  Features  of  this 
copy  which  may  be  bibliographically  unique, 
which  may  alter  any  of  the  images  in  the 
reproduction,  or  which  may  significantly  change 
the  usu'jI  method  of  filming,  are  checked  below. 


D 


D 


y 


D 


D 


D 


Coloured  covers/ 
Couverture  de  couleur 


I      I    Covers  damaged/ 


Couverture  endommagie 


Covers  restored  and/or  laminated/ 
Couverture  restaurie  et/ou  pellicul^e 


□    Cover  title  missing/ 
Le  titru  de  couverture  manque 

□    Coloured  maps/ 
Cartes  giographiques  en  couleur 


Coloured  ink  (i.e.  other  than  blue  or  black)/ 
ere  de  couleur  (i.e.  autre  que  bieue  ou  noire) 


□   Coloured  plates  and/or  illustrations/ 
Planches  et/ou  illustrations  en  couleur 


Bound  with  other  material/ 
Reli6  avec  d'autres  documents 

Tight  binding  may  cause  shadows  or  distortion 
along  interior  margin/ 

La  re  liure  serrde  peut  causer  de  I'ombre  ou  de  la 
distortion  le  long  de  la  marge  int6rieure 

Blank  leaves  added  during  restoration  may 
appear  within  the  text.  Whenever  possible,  these 
have  been  omitted  from  filming/ 
II  se  peut  quo  certaines  pages  blanches  ajout^es 
lors  dune  restauration  apparaissent  dans  le  texte, 
mais,  lorsque  cela  dtait  possible,  ces  pages  n'ont 
pas  dt6  film^es. 

Additional  comments:/ 
Commentaires  suppl^mentaires: 


L'Institut  a  microfilm^  le  meilleur  exemp!aire 
qu'il  iui  a  At6  possible  de  se  procurer.  Les  details 
de  cet  exemplaire  qui  sont  peut-Atre  uniques  du 
point  de  vue  bibiiographique,  qui  peuvent  modifier 
una  image  reproduite,  ou  qui  peuvent  exiger  une 
modlficatio  '  dans  la  mdthode  normale  de  filmage 
sont  indiqu6s  ci-dessous. 


□   Coloured  pages/ 
Pages  de  couleur 


n 
n 


n 


Pages  damaged/ 
Pages  endommag6es 

Pages  restored  and/or  laminated/ 
Pages  restaurdes  et/ou  pellicul^es 

Pages  discoloured,  stained  or  foxed/ 
Pages  d6color6es,  tachetdes  ou  piqudes 

Pages  detached/ 
Pages  ditach^es 


r~r|    Showthroi'gh/ 


Transparence 

Quality  of  prir 

Quality  in6gale  de  I'impresnion 

Inc'udes  supplementary  materii 
Comprend  du  materiel  suppl^mentaire 


r~7{    Quality  of  print  varies/ 

I      I    Inc'udes  supplementary  material/ 


Only  edition  available/ 
Seule  Edition  disponible 

Pages  wholly  or  partially  obscured  by  errata 
slips,  tissues,  etc.,  have  been  refilmed  to 
ensure  the  best  possible  image/ 
Les  pages  totalement  ou  partiellement 
obscurcies  par  un  feuillet  d'errata,  une  pelure, 
etc.,  ont  6tib  film^es  d  nouveau  de  faqon  d 
obtenir  la  meilleure  image  possible. 


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This  item  is  filmed  at  the  reduction  ratio  checked  below/ 

Ce  document  est  filmi  au  taux  de  rMuction  indiqud  ci-dessous. 


10X 

14X 

18X 

22X 

26X 

30X 

J 

12X 


16X 


20X 


24X 


28X 


32X 


Th«  copy  filmtd  h«r«  has  b««n  r«productd  thanks 
to  tho  gsnoroslty  c*: 

Library  of  tha  Public 
Archivas  of  Canada 

Tha  imagaa  appaaring  hara  ara  tha  bast  quality 
possibia  conaidaring  tha  condition  and  lagibility 
of  tha  original  copy  and  in  Icaaping  with  tha 
filming  contract  spacificationa. 


Original  copias  in  printad  papar  covan  ara  filmad 
baginning  with  tha  front  covar  and  anding  on 
tha  laat  paga  with  a  printad  or  illustratad  impras- 
sion,  or  tha  bacic  covar  whan  appropriata.  All 
other  original  copiaa  ara  filmad  baginning  on  tha 
first  paga  with  a  printad  or  illuatratad  impraa- 
sion,  and  anding  on  tha  last  paga  with  a  printad 
or  illustratad  impraaaion. 


Tha  last  racordad  frama  on  aach  microficha 
shall  contain  tha  symbol  "^>  (maaning  "CON- 
JINUED"),  or  tha  symbol  V  (maaning  "END"), 
whichav^r  oppiias. 

iVIapa,  piataa,  charts,  ate,  may  ba  filmad  at 
diffarant  raduction  ratios.  Thoaa  too  larga  to  ba 
antlraly  includad  in  ona  axpoaura  ara  filmad 
baginning  in  tha  uppar  iaft  hand  cornar,  laft  to 
right  and  top  to  bottom,  as  many  framas  as 
raquirad.  Tha  following  diagrams  iiiustrata  tha 
mathod: 


L'axampiaira  film*  fut  raprod  «it  grica  i  ia 
gAnArositA  da: 

La  bibiiotl^Aque  das  Archivas 
pubilquas  du  Canada 

Laa  imagas  suivantes  ont  At*  raproduitas  avac  la 
plus  grand  soin,  compta  tanu  da  ia  condition  at 
da  ia  nattat*  da  l'axampiaira  film«,  at  an 
conformity  avac  las  conditions  du  contrat  da 
fiimaga. 

Laa  Mamplairas  originaux  dont  ia  couvartura  an 
papiar  ast  imprimis  sont  fiimte  an  commandant 
par  la  pramiar  plat  at  an  tarminant  soit  par  ia 
darniira  paga  qui  comporta  una  amprainta 
d'impraaaion  ou  d'iliustration,  soit  par  ia  sacond 
plat,  salon  la  cas.  Tous  las  autras  axampiairas 
originaux  sont  film*s  an  commandant  par  ia 
pramitra  paga  qui  comporta  una  amprainta 
d'imprassion  ou  d'iliustration  at  an  tarminant  par 
la  darnlAra  paga  qui  comporta  una  taiia 
amprainta. 

Un  daa  symbolas  suivants  apparattra  sur  ia 
darnlAra  imaga  da  chaqua  microficha,  salon  la 
caa:  la  symbols  — ►  signifia  "A  8UIVRE",  la 
symbols  ▼  aignifia  "FIN". 

Laa  cartas,  planchaa,  tabiaaux.  ate,  pauvant  Atra 
filmte  A  daa  taux  da  reduction  diff«rants. 
Lorsqu6  la  documant  aat  trop  grand  pour  Atra 
raproduit  an  un  saul  ciich*,  ii  ast  fiim«  A  partir 
da  S'anjia  aupAriaur  gaucha,  da  gaucha  h  droita, 
at  da  haut  an  baa,  an  pranant  la  nombra 
d'imagas  nAcassaira.  Laa  diagrammas  suivants 
iiiustrant  ia  mAthoda. 


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WITH    DOCUMENTS    RELATING    THERETO,    INCLUDING    THE 
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WITH  THE  SUBSEatlENT  ACTS  AND  RESOLVES  PASSED  BY  THE  LEGISLA- 
TURE OF  MAINE,  AND  THE  DOINGS  OF  THE  EXECUTIVE 
COMMITTEE  IN  RELATION  THERETO. 


PUBLISHED  BY  ORDER  OF  THE  CONVENTION. 


PORTLAND: 

HARMON  AND  ■VILLIAM8...,PR1NTERS. 
16  50. 


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PLAN. 


The  plan  of  extending  a  line  of  Railway  across  the  State  of 
Maine,  and  the  Provinces  of  New  Brunswick  and  Nova  Scotia  to 
the  nearest  available  point  of  North  America  to  Ireland,  has  been 
frequently  suggested,  to  very  many  minds  of  both  continents, 
looking  at  the  question — from  various  and  distinct  points  of  ob- 
servation. No  one  familiar  with  the  commonest  principles  of 
commercial  economy,  can  for  a  moment  doubt  the  truth  of  the 
assertion,  that  at  some  time  or  other,  the  necessities  of  trade  will 
require  the  adoption  of  the  shortest  possible  sea  voyage  between 
the  continents  of  Europe  and  America.  The  discerning  minds 
of  both  continents,  ha^e  seen  the  rapid  approach  of  this  event  in 
the  various  measures  by  which  the  lines  of  Railway  have  been 
pushed  out  from  the  great  commercial  centres  of  England  and 
the  United  States  toward  each  other,  in  the  general  direction  of 
the  shortest  line  between  them, — and  in  the  employment  of 
steam-ships  of  the  most  approved  models  for  speed  and  safety,  in 
preference  to  the  ordinary  sailing  vessels  of  former  times. 

To  have  attempted  to  carry  out  the  idea  of  reducing  the  time 
of  passage  between  New  York  and  London,  to  its  lowest  possible 
limit,  at  the  time  the  line  of  the  Cunard  Steamers  was  established, 
would  have  been  premature.  The  plan  can  never  be  prqperly 
successful,  till  the  business  along  the  railway  lines  from  London 
to  the  west  coast  of  Ireland,  and  from  New  York  to  Canso,  in- 
cluding through  and  way  business  united,  will  justify  the  invest- 
ment of  the  capital,  necessary  for  its  completion.  Whether  or 
not  that  time  has  arrived,  is  a  question  which  has  been  fairly 
propounded,  and  which  the  business  men  of  both  countries  are 
now  preparing  to  solve.    The  movement  on  this  continent  toward 


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accompIisliii)g  this  result,  has  boon  made,  in  consequence  of  the 
grant  of  money  made  hy  tlie  British  Government  toward  the 
completion  of  the  Midland  Great  Western  Railway  of  Ireland, 
to  extend  from  Dublin  to  Galway — and  in  aid  of  the  Brittannia 
Tubular  Bridge, 

Under  the  impression  that  the  completion  of  the  line  of  Rail- 
way across  the  Menai  Strait,  and  across  the  breadth  of  Ireland, 
must  change  the  course  of  travel,  and  the  point  of  its  embarkation 
to  this  continent  from  the  British  Islands  and  the  continent  of 
Europe,  an  effort  was  made  to  arouse  the  public  mind  of  Maine 
in  favor  of  a  corresponding  movement  on  this  side  the  Atlantic,  at 
a  Railroad  meeting  held  at  Bangor  in  February  last  The  inte- 
rest awakened  by  the  discussion  on  that  occasion,  led  to  the  pre- 
sentation of  the  matter  to  the  Legislature  of  Maine,  in  the  follow- 
ing petition,  which  was  laid  before  that  body  by  the  Hon.  Mr. 
Shepley  of  Portland,  a  member  of  the  Senate,  and  printed  for  the 
use  of  the  Legislature,  on  motion  of  M.  L.  Appleton,  Esq.  of 
Bangor,  of  the  House  of  Representatives. 

I'o  the  Honorable,  the  Senate  and  House  of  Representatives  of  the 
Slate  of  Maine,  in  session  at  Augusta,  A.  D.  1850  ; 

The  uiidersigued,  citizens  of  Maine,  respectfully  request  ymr  honorable  body 
to  ciiuse  to  be  surveyed  and  ascertained,  the  most  practicable  route  for  a  Railway, 
from  the  city  of  Bangor  to  the  Eastern  Boundary  of  the  State,  in  the  general  di- 
rection of  the  city  of  St  John,  New  Brunswick  ;  and  to  take  such  further  action 
in  the  premises  as  will  tend  to  favor  the  construction  of  a  Railroad  from  the  city 
of  Bangor  to  some  good  harbor  on  the  Eastern  shore  of  Nova  Scotia,  or  Cape 
Breton,  best  fitted  to  become  the  entrepot  and  terminus  for  tlie  most  direct  line  of 
trans-Atlantic  navigation. 

From  the  easternmost  point  ofNova  Scotia,  Cape  Canso,  in  Latitude  45  deg. 
17  niin.  N.  and  in  longitude  61  deg.  S  min.  W.  to  Galway  Bay,  in  Ireland,  in 
latitude  58  deg.  13  min.  N.  and  in  longitude  9  deg.  18  min.  W.  the  distance  is 
about  2000  miles.  Assuming  a  speed  of  17  miles  an  honr  in  steam  vessels,  the 
Atlantic  Ocean  can  be  crossed  between  these  points  in  five  days  time. 

Tne  nearest  accessible  harbor  to  Cape  Canso,  Whitehaven,  in  lat.^  45  deg.  10 
mill.  N.  long.  61  deg.  10  min.  W.  according  to  the  authority  of  Admiral  Owen,  in 
a  report  on  the  subject  made  to  Sir  John  nar\ey,  Sept.  5,  1846 — "is  a  most 
splendid  and  commodious  port,  nt  the  nearest  available  point  of  North  America  to 
Ireland;  its  natural  facilities  greatly  exceeding  thoai  of  Halfax,  or  any  other 
point  upon  the  coast."  Galway  harbor  is  one  of  the  finest  in  the  world,  having 
great  ailvantages  over  Bristol  or  Liverpool,  as  a  steam-ship  terminus. 

The  Gut  of  Canso  could  possibly  be  passed  by  a  bridge  ;  but  upou  thi»  point 


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r-::jcii!  tt«.'ip-j5 


ncc  of  the 


Dward  the 
)f  Ireland, 
Brittannia 

c  of  Rail- 
of Ireland, 
nbarkation 
ontinent  of 
d  of  Maine 
Atlantic,  at 
The  inte- 
to  the  pre- 
the  follow- 
Hon.  Mr. 
nted  for  the 
m,  Esq.  of 

ilivei  of  tht 
50; 

louorable  body 
for  a  Railway, 
the  general  di- 
further  action 
from  the  city 
cotJn,  or  Cape 
direct  line  of 

atitude  45  deg. 

in  Ireland,  in 

the  distance  is 

im  vessels,  the 

time, 
lat.  45  deg.  10 
miral  Owen,  in 
6 — "  is  a  most 
orth  America  to 
or  any  other 
world,  having 

lUS. 

upou  thk  point 


there  is  at  present  no  satisr.ictory  informntinn.  By  moans  of  a  f.rrry  nrtof*  the 
Cut  of  Ciinso,  the  lini-  could  \w  extendfd  to  Ixjuixbiirj^h  iiarl)i)r  in  rn|M!  Brcluu, 
«ti]l  further  east,  to  a  point  Icmh  than  2000  mile.s  dintant  from  (ialway  Hay,  as  will 
appear  by  the  accompanying  map  or  plan. 

From  (ialway  to  Dublin,  a  lino  of  Railway  is  nearly  conjpleteU  across  Ireland, 
and  is  in  actual  operation  from  Dublin  to  Muliingar,  a  distaiiro  of  50  miles.  From 
Dublin,  the  distance  of  63  miles  across  the  Irish  Channel  to  Ilolyht-ad,  is  passed 
with  steam  packets,  at  the  rate  of  18  miles  an  hour,  to  which  place  the  Chester 
and  Holyhead  Railway  is  already  finished,  connecting  with  Liverpool  and  Lon- 
don— crossing  the  Menai  Strait  by  the  Brittannia  Tubular  Bridgi',  which  was  op- 
ened for  tratfic  on  the  18th  of  March,  1850. 

The  route  of  the  steamship  from  Liverpool  to  New  York  passes  near  to  Cape 
Race  in  Newfoundland,  Cape  Breton,  and  Cape  Canso,  and  thence  along  the  roast 
of  Nova  Scotia  by  Cape  Sable,  and  paralel  with  the  general  line  of  the  coast  of 
New  Brunswick  and  JIaine.  From  Cape  Canso  to  New  York  the  distance  can  be 
pikssed  in  about  the  length  of  line  by  land  as  l)y  water,  and  in  one  third  the  time. 
From  New  York  to  Waterville  the  Railway  is  already  finished,  a  distance  of  410 
miles.  From  Waterville  to  the  city  of  St.  John,  the  distance  would  probably  be 
about  200  miles  ;  and  from  St.  John  to  Whitehaven  less  than  250  miles  further  ; 
making  the  entire  distance  from  New  York  to  Whitehaven  from  800  to  900  miles 
in  all. 

From  Whitehaven  to  the  head  of  the  Bay  of  Fundy,  at  Sackville,  a  feasible 
route  for  a  Railway  has  been  ascertained,  passing  near  to  Pictou,  through  the 
valuable  coal  districts  along  the  shore  of  the  Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence  ;  and  it  is  be- 
lieved that  the  Legislature  of  Nova  Scotia  would  cheerfully  engage  to  construct 
that  part  of  the  luie  whenever  the  other  portions  are  secured. 

A  line  of  Railway  from  Halifax,  passing  iu  the  vicinity  of  Truro,  could  be  easily 
connected  at  some  feasible  point  with  the  main  trunk  ;  and  it  cannot  be  doubted 
that  the  enterprising  citizens  of  Halifax  would  engage  in  its  construction  at  ouce. 
At  the  present  time  they  are  urging  the  completion  of  a  line  from  Halifax  to 
Windsor,  and  a  survey  of  the  route  has  been  accomplished. 

From  the  city  of  St.  John  to  Shediac  Bay,  on  the  Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence,  a  line 
has  been  surveyed  for  a  Railway  on  the  general  line  of  the  route  to  Sackville,  and 
Provincial  aid  to  a  large  amount  proposed.  The  Province  of  New  Brunswick  has 
recently  appropriated  £60,000  currency — $240,000,  to  construct  that  portion  of 
the  distance  between  Shediac  Bay  and  the  Bend  of  the  Petecodiac  River — the 
head  of  navigation  on  the  Bay  of  Fundy.  No  doubt  lan  be  entertained  that  the 
Province  would  extend  this  line  from  a  point  of  coimection  with  the  Nova  Scotia 
line  to  the  city  of  St.  John  ;  and  it  is  believed  that  the  local  business  of  the  coun- 
try between  the  city  of  St.  John  and  the  head  of  the  Bay  of  Fundy,  would  at  the 
present  time  pay  a  tolerable  remuneration  to  the  stockholders. 

From  the  city  of  St.  John  to  Bangor  it  is  supposed  that  a  route  tolerably  direct 
can  be  found,  without  encountering  serious  obstacles.  The  necessary  information 
upon  this  point  has  never  been  ascertained  ;  and  it  is  for  the  purpose  of  asking 
that  this  service  may  be  speedily  accomplished,  that  we  approach  your  honorable 
body.     From  Bangor  to  Waterville,  private  enterprise  has  already  demonstrated 


Is    I 


6 

the  fact,  that  either  of  dRveriil  rlipnp  nnJ  prnrticahlu  routes  ran  be  adopted. 

The  only  grant  unkc*!  of  ihu  Legislature,  or  that  will  he  neee-wary  to  obtain,  in 
an  appropriation  NUflicient  to  secure  the  eoinpletion  of  the  remaining  link  in  the 
line  of  survey!",  and  at  a  suitable  time,  the  ntjcessary  grant  of  a  charter  to  carry 
this  work  fonvard,  which,  from  the  progress  of  events,  must  soon  claim  the  public 
attention. 

The  rilizens  of  Maine  are  generally  aware  of  the  import;ince  of  tlic  question  to 
the  best  interests  of  the  State  ;  but  the  work  is  too  great  for  individuals  to  under- 
take with  our  present  means.  The  [)roper  surveys  once  being  completed,  would 
place  before  the  country  the  great  advantage  of  the  position  of  our  State  for  a 
leading  part  in  the  commercial  movements  of  the  age.  Private  enterprise  ought 
not  to  bo  so  largely  taxed  as  it  must  necessarily  be,  without  the  grant  of  aid  to 
the  j)ropo8ed  survey  in  whole  or  in  part  by  the  State,  for  the  purpose  of  procuring 
valuable  information,  equally  desired  by,  or  at  any  rate  of  equal  importance  to  all. 
Maine  ought  not,  either,  to  remain  inditierent  to  the  great  advantages  which  may 
now  be  brought  within  her  reach  by  a  proper  attention  to  the  great  movements  in 
Ocean  Steam  Navigation  and  commercial  affairs. 

The  most  stienuous  efforts  are  now  made  to  revive  the  plan  of  the  Quebec  and 
Hiilifax  line  ;  and  various  projects  are  now  engaging  the  attention  of  the  British 
Provinces,  with  a  view  to  secure  in  some  form  or  other  the  aid  of  the  Home  Gov- 
ernment.   The  movement  is  gaining  favor  in  Great  Britain. 

From  Halifax  to  Quebec  the  distance,  acconling  to  the  survey  for  a  railroad,  by 
Major  Robinson,  is  6S5  miles  ;  and  this  road  is  urged  upon  public  attention  with 
a  view  to  draw  over  it  a  portion  of  the  western  trade,  and  place  the  Lower  Prov- 
inces in  the  great  line  of  communication  between  the  grain  growing  regions  of 
this  Continent  and  Europe.  Without  going  into  an  extended  examination  of  the 
merits  of  this  project,  it  seems  to  us  that  it  must  strike  every  intelligent  mind,  timt 
the  most  natural — the  cheapest  and  best  nirole  of  obtaining  a  comiiinnication  by 
Railway  between  the  Lower  Provinces,  and  Montreal  and  the  west,  will  be  found 
by  extending  a  line  of  Railway  in  the  direction  of  Bangor  and  Waterville,  Maine. 
From  Waterville  to  Montreal,  a  distance  of  300  miles,  the  entire  line  is  finished 
or  under  contract  for  completion  in  1852,  and  a  branch  to  Quebec  may  be  regard- 
ed as  secured  within  three  years  from  the  present  time. 

The  highest  importance  therefore  attaciies  to  every  movement  having  reference 
to  the  extension  of  Railways  east  of  Bangor,  or  from  the  Lower  Provinces  in  the 
direction  of  the  St.  Lawrence  River.  One  great  central  line  for  the  whole  State, 
and  for  European  communication,  once  laid  down,  into  which  the  various  branch 
lines  could  enter,  on  either  side  as  required — connected  with  a  line  extending  to 
Montreal  and  Quebec — a  system  of  Railways  would  be  secured  surpassing  in 
value  and  importance  any  that  has  yet  been  proposed. 

It  is  not  proposed  to  urge  any  one  to  embark  hastily  in  the  construction  of  the 
projected  line  ;  but  to  so  far  present  the  advantages  of  this  route  for  the  great  ends 
in  view,  over  any  other  possible  line,  as  to  secure  for  it  such  aid  as  in  the  pro- 
gress of  events,  its  advantages  may  call  forth.  If  the  practicability  of  the  line 
were  properly  demonstrated,  it  is  believed  that  it  would  command  support  from 


ju..j.uj,.j..!.ii;. 


I  b(.-  adopted. 
;  tn  obtain,  ii« 
ng  link  in  the 
iiirliT  to  carry 
liiii  the  publir 

ic  quottion  to 
uuIm  to  under- 
ipleted,  would 
ur  State  for  u 
iterprixe  ought 
grunt  of  aid  tn 
le  of  procuring 
portance  to  all. 
es  which  may 
iiiovcments  in 

ic  Quebec  and 
t  of  the  British 
he  Home  Gov- 

ira  railroad,  by 
attention  with 
e  Lower  Prov- 
ring  regions  of 
iiination  of  the 
gent  mind,  tliat 
inmnication  by 
,  will  be  found 
erville,  Maine, 
line  is  finished 
may  be  regard- 

iving  reference 
'rovinces  in  the 
le  whole  State, 
various  branch 
e  extending  to 
surpassing  in 

tructioD  of  the 

the  great  ends 

as  in  the  pro- 

ity  of  the  line 

1  support  from 


lh»'  great  rommcrcial  inlereMs  of  Great  Britain  nmlthel'niipd  Slntex.  If  already 
built,  no  one  can  doubt  the  value  of  the  undertaking  iiNn  mode  of  profitable  invest- 
ment. ThoHC  who  may  incline  to  hesitate,  in  yielding  a.'inent  to  the  truth  of  thin 
asxertion,  are  invited  to  very  carefully  review  the  present  condition  of  nffairn. 

The  United  Htates  now  embrace  a  territory  of  2,187,490  square  niih-s  not  or- 
ganized into  States,  including  Texas.  If  this  whole  territory  was  as  densely  |Mip- 
nlatcd  as  the  State  of  Massachusetts,  it  would  contain  a  population  of  over  Two 
Hundred  Millions  of  people.  The  same  extent  of  territory  in  Kurope,  under 
similar  climate,  and  with  fewer  natural  advantages,  contains  a  still  greater  |topu- 
lation,  while  the  United  Kingdom  of  (ireat  Britain  and  Ireland  has  a  ratio  ofjMip- 
ulation  to  the  square  mile  more  than  twice  as  great  as  Massachusetts.  The  twen- 
ty-nine remaining  States,  exclusive  of  Texas,  comprise  an  extent  of  1,065,158 
square  miles  more.  The  increase  of  population  in  the  United  States  from  1790  to 
1800,  was  at  the  rate  of  35.01  per  cent.  ;  from  1800  to  1810,  36.45  per  cent.  ; 
from  1810  to  1820,  33.35  per  cent  ;  from  1820  to  1830,  33.26  per  cent. .  from 
1830  to  1840,  32.67  per  cent.  It  is  believed  that  the  census  of  1850  will  show 
that  from  1840  to  1850,  the  increase  has  been  aa  great  as  at  any  otln.'r  period  of 
ten  years.  Causes  now  at  work  tend  rather  to  increase  than  diminish  the  ratio 
of  increase  ;  and  many  now  alive  will  scethis  nation  numberingoNK  hundred 

AND  FIFTY   NILLIONS  of  people. 

Commercial  mtercourso  between  the  United  States  and  Europe  has  gone  on  in- 
creasing more  rapidly  than  the  population  of  the  country.  In  the  year  1820,  the 
attempt  was  first  made  to  establish  a  line  of  packet  ships  to  Liverpool,  to  sail  on 
certain  stated  days.  Almost  every  one  prophecied  their  failure,  though  embracing 
only  TWO  in  number,  and  of 450  tons  burthen.  At  this  time  there  are  lines  of 
of  regular  sailing  packets  from  all  our  large  cities,  embracing  vessels  of  over  2000 
tons  burthen,  and  reaching  hundreds  of  ships  in  number. 

About  fifteen  years  ago,  the  scientific  world  listened  with  attention  to  the  asser- 
tion of  the  learned  Dr.  Lardner,  that  it  was  impossible  to  navigate  the  Atlantic 
Ocean  by  steam.  This  theory  was  disproved  by  the  arrival  of  two  steamers,  the 
SiRius  and  the  Great  Western,  in  New  York  harbor,  one  from  Bristol,  the 
other  from  Liverpool,  on  the  23d  day  of  April,  1838,  both  on  the  same  day. 
More  than  twenty  steamship  during  the  present  year  will  run  as  regular  pack- 
ets between  this  country  and  Europe,  while  the  number  of  sailing  vessels  is  great- 
er than  at  any  former  period. 

Thenumber  of  Emigrants  which  arrived  in  New  York  in  1838  was  23,581.  In 
1849,  the  number  reached  231,779.  Thenumber  which  left  the  United  King- 
dom of  Great  Britain  and  Ireland  for  the  United  States  in  1848,  was  188,223  ; 
and  the  whole  emigration  into  this  country  in  that  year  exceeded  250,000.  In  the 
year  1849,  the  number  of  emigrant  arrivals  reached  326,000  ;  and  it  is  estimated 
that  the  number  will  exceed  400,000  the  present  year. 

Every  year  gives  fresh  impulses  to  the  cause  of  Emigration  to  the  United  States 
and  the  disturbed  condition  of  all  commercial  affairs  on  the  Continent  of  Europe 
is  operating  to  invite  a  better  class  of  Emigrants  than  heretofore,  embracing  much 
of  the  skill  and  mechanical  industry  of  Switzerland,  France  and  Germany. 

The  most  indifTerent  observer  will  admit  that  the  increase  of  facilties  for  travel 


8 


with  Kurop«-,  muni  inrrj-aiM!  far  iiiori;  rnpidly  (or  llw  nnxl  ten  yonrn,  than  iit  an' 
formnr  pcriixl.  Thf  tnulo  hetwcnii  thi;  I  nitctl  States  uiiil  (ircat  Hriiuiii  in  con- 
Htuntly  iiirrtmHing  iiiiil  nt  tho  |ir)>it('iit  inoiiittnt  lifyoiid  any  ioniicr  vxaiiipl*>.  Thi 
exportrt  to  F.iiglaml  in  Ih30,  wt-ri;  <>24,6»»,(i<)«,  in  IS4M  #71,762,315.  The  lin 
portH  froin  Knulaiul  in  183(»,  wcro  $22,765,()1(»,  in  IH4H  &5!>,7(i3,522.  Hotlu-x 
port*  and  importH  in  1817  t'xreuded  fliosu  of  lf<4!^,liiit  th«  exlraorilinary  deiiiunc 
fur  Uml  occiiHionml  by  thn  fiinini!  in  Ireland,  gave  un  ununual  inipulxc  totrudu  ii 
that  year. 

A  route  which  would  enable  the  traveller  to  see  an  attractive  portion  of  thL 
Continent,  the  best  portion  of  Ireland,  and  the  most  extraordinary  work  of  huniai 
Hkill,  the  Brittannia  Tubular  Bridge,  would  of  itnelf  invite  the  pleaiiure  touririt  h 
take  thii)  route,  if  no  Having  of  tiincor  expense  were  secured.  But  it  is  confident 
ly  asserted  that  while  to  the  man  of  business  the  same  attractions  would  be  of- 
fered by  the  plan  proposed,  the  expense  of  a  trip  to  Europe  can  be  largely  reduced, 
while  it  shall  save  him  much  if  not  all  uncertainty  ua  to  the  time  of  his  arrival, 
and  some  days  time  for  purposes  of  business. 

From  New  York  to  Liverpool,  in  the  shortest  line,  is  3100  miles  ,  the  routfl 
usually  traversed  is  over  3800  miles.  By  taking  the  Railway  from  New  York  to 
Halifax  or  Canso,  employing  the  swiftest  steam  packet  from  thence  to  Galway, 
crossing  the  great  Midland  Ilailway  from  Galway  to  Dublin,  adistance  of  about 
120  miles,  and  from  thence  to  Holyhead  harbour,  a  distance  of  63  miles,  and 
from  thence  to  London,  by  the  Chester  and  Holyhead  and  London  and  Northwes- 
tern Railways,  a  distance  of  263  miles — employing  about  1,200  miles  of  railway, 
and  2,000  miles  of  steam  navigation — the  passage  from  New  York  to  London  may 
be  reduced  to  seven  days'time,  at  all  events,  and  possibly  to  six  days,  within  a 
few  years  at  farthest. 

This  can  only  be  achieved  by  shortening  the  sea  voyage,  and  dispensing  with 
the  vast  weight  of  coal  and  other  superfluous  load  now  carried.  Vessels  de8igne<' 
for  crossing  the  ocean  with  speed,  should  be  relieved  of  all  load  not  requisite  fo 
steadiness  and  good  carriage.  Ordinary  merchandize  will  always  go  more  cheap 
ly  in  sailing  vessels.  Valuable  goods  could  be  transferred  to  boats  of  still  greate 
speed,  from  the  ocean  terminus,  running  if  necessary  to  the  various  Atlantic  cit 
ies,  if  too  bulky  to  go  by  the  Railway.  In  this  way,  the  safest  and  swiftest  pas 
sage  would  be  secure<l.  In  a  few  years,  instead  of  a  semi-weekly,  a  daily  arriva 
of  steamships  may  be  expecfed. 

One  hundred  THROUGH  passengers  a  day  each  way  by  the  Railway,  woult 
give  a  most  profitable  businees  to  the  road,  in  addition  to  its  local  business  ;  ani 
the  highest  price  would  readily  be  paid  for  the  carrying  of  the  mails.  The  Britisl 
and  the  American  Governments  would  willingly  enter  into  a  perpetual  or  perma 
nent  contract  for  this  service,  at  rates  of  compensation  repres-enting  a  capital  equa 
to  one  third  the  entire  cost  of  the  line.  If  the  proper  surveys  were  now  comple- 
ted, and  the  necessary  charters  granted,  for  a  continuous  line  from  Bangor  t( 
Whitehaven  or  Halifax,  the  schenie  would  offer  inducements  for  the  employment 
of  capital,  unsurpassed  by  any  enterprise  of  the  age. 

Looking  forward  but  25  years  only,  we  shall  see  tliis  government  containing 


rirTY  Mii.i.ioN!!  of  poojilc.  Iti  grral  rivtT*  ami  inliiiul  mM*— iln  miiuTil 
wcnltli  mill  ini'xbiiuntililf  noil — within  n  liililiulp  Cavoriiblt'  l»  Iw-iillh  nflMxIy  iind 
vigor  of  iiiiiiil — till  rnimpiri-  to  give  the  fiili.'st  (li'Viln|M'ineiit  to  tlir  spirit  of  (irogrti'-', 
mjuinit*!  to  supply  incaii!*  for  tlio  fullest  gi  ailiciitioii  of  i-vi-ry  want  known  to  tli.' 
highcNt  civiliyjitioii. 

Under  any  form  of  Ciovornincnt  known  to  rivili/<Hl  ninn,  th«  proprf!<*  of  th* 
rare  would  he,  iindor  siirli  iiiflni'nccs,  rapid  and  viguroun.  Wlicn,  lliiTcforc,  an 
cntprpri.Ming  rarf>,  in  the  ponscfinion  (if  ■*iich  pliynical  advant-  ^cn  nn  tliix  rountry 
poi4iL>8i<t!N,  aro  HtiniulatiHi  to  exertion  l)y  the  artion  of  a  free  government  ii|)on  tlie 
energies  of  the  whole  peo|)le,  we  may  confidently  expert  a  higlier  dcvelopeinen' 
in  the  ideas  and  inxtilulionn  of  society,  and  a  more  practical  application  of  knowl- 
edge to  the  wants  and  necessities  of  lifi;. 

Maine,  from  her  frontier  position  and  severe  climate,  has  been  heretofnre  re- 
garded as  the  least  favored  of  all  the  States  in  tlu?  Union  ;  while  it  has  the  pow- 
er to  become  the  great  manufacturing  and  great  ship-owning  State  of  the  Confed- 
eracy, if  not  the  first  in  point  of  connncrcial  importance.  Our  climate  and  our 
geographical  position,  generally  spoken  of  as  our  misfortunes,  are  in  fact  the  great 
elements  of  our  strength.  The  inca-nsed  necessities  which  our  climate  imposes 
upon  US,  beyond  those  of  a  warmer  latitude,  are  far  more  than  compensated  by 
our  superior  capacity  for  labor,  our  greater  power  of  endurance,  and  our  extraor- 
dinary fondness  for  exertion.  With  a  more  extended  Ibie  of  sen  coast  than  any 
other  State  in  the  Union,  and  more  good  harbors  than  all  the  other  States  togeth- 
er, Maine  will  present  at  some  future  day,  along  her  hays  nnd  rivers,  a  line  of 
cities  surpassing  those  which  are  now  found  upon  the  shores  ofthe  Knglish  Chan- 
nel, or  the  Baltic  Sea. 

Thia  result  will  be  hastened^by  attracting  into  our  own  State  the  great  stream 
of  European  businesa  and  travel,  where  it  shall  divide  into  two  great  channels — 
one  flowing  northward  into  the  St.  Lawrence  valley  and  the  West,  the  other  flow- 
ing southward  to  the  great  commercial  cities  of  the  Continent, 

Without  the  fertile  soil  ofthe  West,  or  the  rich  deposits  of  coal  and  iron   of 
Pennsylvania,  Maine  for  twenty  years  past  has  not  kept  pace  with  the  ratio  of 
increase  ofthe  whole  country.     From  1820  to  1830,  the  ratio  of  her  increase  was 
8S.9  per  cent,  or  about  the  same  as  that  ofthe  whole  Union.     From  1830  to  1840 
the  rate  of  increase  was  only  26.2  per  cent.     Notwithstanding  the  healthiness  of 
our  climate,  the  extent  of  our  public  lands,  with  all  the  facilities  inviting  emigra- 
tion from  the  more  densely  populated  dis'ricts  of  New  England,  emigration   into 
the  State  had  become  nearly  stationary,  nnd  the  tendency  of  our  people  to  eini. 
grate  West,  remained  unchecked,  till  the  movement  was  made  to  construct  a  rail- 
road from  Portland  to  Montreal.     The  effect  of  that  movement  is  already  appar. 
ent  upon  the  character,  the  enterprise,   and  the  business  of  the  State.    A  smal' 
portion  only  ofthe  energy  which  has  been  applied  to  that  undertaking,  will  speed 
ily  accomplish  the  end  now  purposed  ; — favorably  affecting  that  great  enterprise 
and  all  the  leading  interests  of  Maine. 

The  time  is  not  regarded  by  most  persons  as  particularly  favorable  for  entering 
upon  new  enterprises.  The  great  interests  of  Maine,  ship  building  and  lumber- 
ing for  some  three  years  past  hcve  been  sev<;rely  depressed,  furnishing  less  returns 


10 


even  tlinn  investments  in  Railways.  These,  in  common  with  all  other  business 
interests,  are  destined  at  times  to  suffer.  Railway  property  will,  however,  ad- 
vance in  value  with  the  growth  and  increa^  5f  Imsiness  in  the  State  ;  while  it 
w  ill  also  tend  to  fo.sier  industry  and  stimulate  production  in  every  department  of 
labor,  beyond  any  other  species  of  investment. 

It  is  in  vain  to  expect  to  retain  the  natural  increase  of  our  population  without 
holding  out  inducements  for  labor  beyond  what  are  offered  by  the  pursuits  of  :igri- 
culture  and  lumbering  ;  and  we  have  failed  so  far  to  attract  to  this  State  the  most 
valuable  class  of  emigrants,  that  seek  for  a  climate  and  soil  similar  to  that  of 
(iermany  and  Switzerland,  which  resembles  our  own. — If  proper  encouragement 
was  held  out  to  them,  we  might  expect  emigrants  from  the  north  of  Europe  to 
prefer  the  soil  and  climate  of  Maine  to  that  of  the  Mississippi  valley.  Instead  of 
this,  for  a  series  of  years  we  have  been  compelled  to  witness  the  gradual  with- 
drawal of  much  of  our  capital  into  enterprises  of  other  States,  and  a  departure  from 
among  us  of  many  of  the  most  enterp'  '..iing  of  the  young  men  of  Maine.  Real 
estate  has  advanced  but  moderately  in  value  for  the  last  fifteen  years,  while  the 
new  States  have  grown  up  within  that  brief  period  into  wealth  and  importance. 
Our  frontier  position,  and  the  want  of  a  proper  State  pride  and  a  Stats  policy, 
have  been  pointed  out  as  the  principal  hindrances  to  the  growth  of  Maine.  The 
opening  of  the  great  avenues  already  in  progress  and  proposed,  placing  Maine  in 
the  direct  line  of  the  great  commercial  intercourse  of  the  globe,  will  create  new 
relations  la  every  department  of  business,  und  call  into  exercise  such  agencies  as 
will  soon  give  to  Maine  a  strength  und  a  position  equal  to  that,  of  any  portion  of 
the  Union. 

The  present  period  seems  to  us  favorable  for  the  proposed  movement.  An  ex- 
peritnent  is  now  mat  ing  to  run  steamships  from  Galway  to  Haiifux,  aided  by  the 
Great  Midland  Railway  Company  of  Ireland.  The  capital  of  this  company  is£2,- 
596,666,  or  more  than  12,000,000  of  dollars. 

This  Company  has  a  direct  interest  to  subserve  by  inviting  the  travel  between 
this  country  and  Europe  upon  its  road.  The  same  ir*  trne  also  of  the  Chester  und 
Holyhead  and  the  London  and  Northwestern  Railway  Companies.  These  com- 
panies, with  their  various  branch  lines — under  one  nia.iagement — embrace  nearly 
one  eighth  of  the  entire  traffic  of  the  United  Kingdom.  The  London  and  North- 
western Railway  Company,  Aug.  1.  1849,  owned  478  1-2  miles  of  road  already 
finished— built  at  a  cost  of  X30,617,o20,  or  $150,000,000—60  3-4  miles  more  in 
progress,  and  held  the  leases  i."over  200  miles  more — including  the  Chester  and 
Holyhead  railway,  representing  a  capital  of  at  least  200,000,000  oft'ollars. — 
Amid  nil  the  depressions  of  Railway  stocks  n.!'d1)usiness  for  the  last  few  years  in 
England,  the  stock  of  this  Company  has  never  been  sold  except  above  par  ;  and 
by  the  recent  advices  from  Europe,  was  selling  at  an  advance.  The  influence 
of  this  capital  will  be  brought  at  once,  in  aid  of  any  line  that  shall  bring  across 
Ireland  to  Dublin  the  travel  of  this  Continent.  The  same  motive  which  induced 
the  British  Government  to  aid  the  construction  of  the  Biittannia  Bridge, — to  ob- 
tain the  most  direct'route  from  London  to  Ireland, — will  lead  them  to  favor  the 
plan  herein  proposed. 


11 

Believing,  llirefore,  tluit  the  State  lias  only  todisplay  to  the  l)iisiiiess  commutiity 
•he  I  raeticability  and  advantages  of  this  great  route  thrc.jgli  Maine,  to  ensure 
at  the  proper  time  its  completion,  we  respectfully  ask  your  honorable  body  to  cause 
the  line  from  Bangor  to  St.  John  to  be  surveyed  at  the  expense  of  the  State,  and 
such  further  measures  adopted  as  will  give  proper  encouragement  to  the  underta- 
king. 

JOHN  A.  POOR. 
JOSIAII  S.  LITTLE. 
JAMKS  B.  CAIIOON. 
JOIL\  M.  WOOD. 
CHAULI.S  a.  CI-APP. 
FRANCIS  O.  J.  SMITH. 
Ji'NE  12th  1850.  LUTHER  JEVVETT. 


STATE  OF  MAINE. 
House  of  Repuesen  i  atives,  June  15,  1850. 
Ordered,  That  500  copies  of  the  foregoing  petition  be  printed  for  the  use  of 
the  Legislature,  EDMUND  W.  FLAGG,  Clerk. 

The  printed  copies  of  this  petition  and  mnp  reached  the  Prov- 
inces of  New  Brunswick  and  Nova  Scotia  by  a  most  fortunate 
concurrence  of  circumstances,  through  the  agency  of  A.  C.  Mor- 
ton, Esq.  the  distinguished  Engineer  of  the  Portland  and  Mon- 
treal Rail  Road,  at  or  about  the  time  of  the  receipt  of  the  follow- 
ing dispatch  of  Earl  Grey,  Colonial  Secretary,  which  negatived 
forever,  the  request  for  government  assistance  to  the  Quebec  and 
Halifax  Railway, 

Downing  Street,      ) 
liUh  June,  1850.     ) 

Sir — I  have  to  acknowledge  your  despatch  No.  168,  of  the  2nd  ull.,  enclosing 
a  resolution  of  the  Legislati,  J  Council,  that  an  address  be  presented  to  yourself, 
requesting  you  again  to  call  tl'u  attention  of  her  Majesty's  government  to  the  sub- 
ject of  the  proposed  Railway  from  Halifax  to  Quebec. 

Her  Majesty's  government  have  not  failed  to  give  their  best  attention  to  a  sub- 
ject in  which  so  deep  an  interest  is  taken  by  the  inhabitants  of  Nova  Scotia.  But 
I  airi  bound  to  slate,  that  they  are  not  prepared  to  submit  to  Parliament  an  v 
MEASURK  for  raising  the  funds  necessary  for  its  construction,  considering  the 
great  amount  and  pressure  of  the  exigences  which  continue  to  weigh  on  the  Impe- 
rial treasury.  I  have,  &c.,  &c., 

f''g'>«J.  Grey. 

Lieut.  Governor  Sir  John  Harvey,  &c. 

The  receipt  ofthe  plan  for  the  proposed  Railway  through  the 
Provinces  and  Maine,  followed  by  the  despatch  of  Earl  Grey, 
aroused  at  once  to  the  highest  pitch  of  excitement  the  people  of 


12 

the  Lv,\ver  British  Provinces,  in  favor  of  the  scheme,  and  awak- 
ened a  corresponding  feeling  in  the  minds  of  the  citizens  of  (iue- 
bec.  The  plan  of  a  Convention  at  Portland,  Maine,  to  consider 
the  various  schemes  which  had  been  proposed  to  connect  the 
Llppcr  and  Lower  British  Provinces  by  Railway,  was  at  once 
agreed  upon,  and  the  necessary  measures  put  in  progress  toward 
its  accomplishment. 

An  invitation  in  the  form  of  a  circular,  was  issued  by  a  com- 
mittee of  the  citizens  of  Portland,  addressed  to  the  Governor  and 
Council,  and  the  Legislature  of  Maine,  the  Railroad  Companies 
and  friends  of  public  improvement  throughout  the  United 
States  and  the  several  British  Provinces.  The  purposes  of  said 
Convention  were  set  forth  in  the  circular  of  said  committee  as 
follows : 

CIRCULAR. 

The  plan  of  extending  a  line  of  Railway  through  the  fi  ate  of  Maine  to  the 
Lower  British  Provinces,  and  to  some  good  harhor  on  the  Et.3tern  coast  of  Nova 
Scotia,  Im.s  long  been  regarded  as  a  measure  of  the  highest  importance  to  the 
commercial  interests  of  this  continent  and  Europe.  Events  which  have  occurred 
on  this  side  the  Atlantic  within  the  last  few  years,  in  the  British  Provinces  and 
the  United  States,  have  led  the  most  discerning  minds  of  both  countries  to  con- 
cur ill  the  belief,  that  the  time  is  rapidly  approaching,  if  not  already  arrived, 
when  an  eflbrt  should  be  made,  by  all  parties  interested  in  such  a  result,  towards 
its  consummaiiun. 

The  regiou  of  this  continent  lying  to  the  East  of  Lake  Champlain  and  the 
Hudson  River,  and  between  the  River  and  the  Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence  and  the 
Atlantic  Ocean — in  reference  to  its  geological  features,  its  topographical  and 
physical  geography, — presents  many  striking  characteriitics,  inviting  the  atten- 
tion of  the  naturalist  and  the  scientific  inquirer.  Its  ud,  climate  and  commer- 
cial advantages,  indicate,  that  it  possesses  the  greatest  natural  advantages  for  the 
development  of  the  highest  physical  and  social  condition  of  man,  and  point  it  out 
as  the  future  abode  of  the  most  enterprising  portion  of  the  race. 

This  region  of  country  from  the  circumstances  of  its  early  settlement  and  tht 
political  changes  it  has  undergone,  has  witnessed  the  most  exciting  scenes  in  th< 
history  of  this  continent,  has  been  the  theatre  of  the  fierce  contests  of  difiereu' 
rac«s,  and  shared  in  all  the  eventful  changes  with  which  for  more  than  two  cen- 
turies the  nations  of  Europe  have  been  disturbed. 

The  final  predominance  of  the  English  race  throughout  this  region  had  scartj. 
ly  become  established,  when  now  relations  awakened  an  equally  endjittered  hos- 
tility between  England  and  her  former  subjects,  leading  both  countries  ijito  bloody 
and  destructive  wars. 

The  spirit  of  peace  has  at  last  prevailed — national  animosities,  sectional  and 


13 


political  hostility  have  tlisiippciircd  hi-twrpii  tliP  riiglish  rarps,  siiicf  tli«  estab- 
li-ihiiicnt  of  the  boundaries  of  Maine  ami  Oregon,  and  the  contests  of  war  have 
been  succeeded  by  a  noble  and  generous  rivalry  for  the  promotion  of  the  art.s  o' 
peace. 

The  introduction  of  the  steamship  and  the  railway,  has  made  fortner  enejnies 
friends,  and  the  citizens  of  Montreal  and  Portland,  of  Halifax  and  Boston,  of  St. 
Jolm  and  New  York,  are  to  all  intents  and  purposes  one  people,  sj)eakini;  a 
common  language  and  .struggling  for  the  same  destiny.  National  hostility  ha.s 
given  way  to  commercial  and  social  intercourse,  and  midcT  whatever  form  of 
government  they  may  hereafter  e.\ist,  they  can  never  again  become  hudtile,  or 
unfriendly. 

An  effort  is  now  made  to  increase  the  means  of  communication  between  dif- 
ferent parts  of  thiii  extended  region.  In  aid  of  this  purpose,  a  Convention  is  to 
be  held  at  Portland,  on  the  81st  iif  July  instant,  at  eleven  of  the  clock  in  the 
forenoon,  at  the  City  Hall,  at  which  time  and  place  it  is  proposed  to  consider  the 
various  schemes  which  have  been  proposed  fir  the  accomplishment  of  this  result. 
The  innnediate  object  of  this  Convention  is,  to  agree  upon  the  most  feasible 
plan  for  prolonging  the  line  of  Railway  from  the  State  of  Maine  to  the  I<over 
British  Provinces,  to  some  good  harbor  best  fitted  to  become  the  entre].'!  and 
terminus,  for  the  most  direct  line  of  trans-Atlantic  navigation,  and  form  a  con- 
nection by  Railway  between  the  Upper  and  Lower  British  Provinces  through  the 
State  of  Maine. 

Such  a  line  of  Railway  extended  from  New  York  and  Jlontreal  to  a  point  of 
connection  in  Maine,  and  from  thence  to  Halifax,  would  undouhteilly  prove  the 
most  popular  and  most  freijuented  highway  for  all  travellers  between  Europe  and 
America,  and  a  great  thoroughfare  both  for  the  old  and  new  world.  The  Atlan- 
tic can  be  most  readily  crossed  from  the  eastern  coast  of  Nova-Scotia  to  the 
western  coast  of  Ireland,  thence  by  railway  to  Dublin,  and  by  steam  to  Holy- 
head, whence  the  Menai  Strait  i.s  crossed  by  the  Britannia  tubular  bridge,  and  so 
to  London  or  Liverpool,  or  any  part  of  Great  Britain  or  the  Continent  of  Europe. 
One  great  central  line  for  European  communication  once  laid  down,  into  which 
the  various  branch  lines  c  i  'd  enter  on  either  side  as  required,  connected  also  by 
lines  of  Railway  with  Montreal  and  Quebec,  would  secure  a  system  of  Railways 
surpassing  in  value  and  importance  any  that  has  yet  been  pre  • 

We  are  encouraged  to  believe,  that  the  completion  of  this  great  work,  can  be 
secured  within  a  reasonable  time,  without  withdrawing  any  portion  of  the  mcana 
of  the  people  along  the  line,  wanted  by  them  for  the  ordinary  purposes  of  busi- 
ness. A  liberal  grant  of  public  lands,  and  of  public  credit,  from  Nova  Scotia, 
New  Brunswick  and  Canada,  equal  to  that  tendered  in  aid  of  the  Ciuebtc  and 
Halifax  Railway,  with  suitable  compensation  from  the  British,  and  American 
Governments  for  the  carrying  of  the  Mails,  will  we  believe,  at  once  invite  into  it 
piivate  capital  from  Europe  aiid  the  commercial  interests  of  this  country,  fully 
adequate  to  its  early  completion. 

But  whatever  may  be  the  pecuniary  merits  of  the  enterprise,  it  has  social  and 


14 


commercinl  reliitiont*  of  the  most  delicate  and  patriotic  character.  Whatever 
shall  tend  to  allay  national  prejudice,  and  harmonize  national  difference!),  con- 
tribute!) to  advance  the  highest  interests  of  humanity,  and  promote  the  welfare 
of  the  race. 

The  most  sublime  spectacle  which  the  history  of  the  world  has  ever  di.'^closed, 
is  being  enacted  in  our  day  by  the  advancement  of  the  English  race,  towards 
universal  supremacy, — a  supremacy  not  maintained  by  tyranny  or  force,  but 
rexting  upon  the  soli*  foundations  of  intellectual  superiority — a  love  of  freedom, 
and  of  social  order.  Regardless  of  artificial  lines  of  demarkation,  or  of  the 
political  divisions  of  this  continent,  we  desire  that  intercourse  between  those  who 
speak  a  common  language,  and  are  striving  for  the  same  destiny,  shall  be  as  free, 
as  the  thoughts,  of  the  mighty  race,  who  have  become  the  masters  of  the  world. 


JOHN  A.  POOR, 
CHARLES  Q.  CLAPP, 
ALLEN  HALNES, 
JOSHUA  DUNN,  > 
T.  C  HERSEY, 
CHARLES  JONES, 
DANIEL  F.  EMERY, 
THOMAS  CUMmNGS, 
JAMES  B.  CAHOON, 
A.  C.  MORTON, 
JOHN  RUSSELL,  Jr., 
JOHN  NEAL, 
Portland,  July  13,  1850. 


A.  W.  H.  CLAPP, 
WOODBURY  STORER, 
GEO.  R.  DAVIS, 
H.  B.  McCOBB, 
JOHN  M.  WOOD, 
LUTHER  JEWETT, 
NEAL  DOW, 
JOHN  APPLETON, 
P.  BARNES, 
ABNER  SHAW, 
MARTIN  GORE. 

Committee. 


'hatever 
es,  con- 
welfare 


sclosed, 
towards 
ce,  but 
•eedom, 
of  the 
Bse  who 
as  free, 
I  world. 


£E. 


THE  GREAT  RAILROAD  CONVENTION. 


In  pursuance  of  the  call  issued  by  said  committee,  .,.d  in  ac- 
cordance with  its  invitation,  Delegates  from  the  British  Provin- 
ces of  New  Brunswick,  Nova  Scotia,  New  Foundlend,  and  Can- 
ada, and  from  the  several  States  of  New  England,  and  New 
York,  assembled  at  the  City  Hall,  in  Portland,  July  31, 
1850.  His  Excellency,  the  Governor  of  Maine  and  Suite,  the 
Hon.  Executive  Council,— the  Senate  and  House  of  Represen- 
tatives of  Maine,  were  in  attendance  by  special  invitation.  All 
persons  officially  connected  with  Railways  were  also  invited  to 
take  part  in  the  deliberations  of  the  Convention. 

The  attendance,  as  was  expected,  was  large.  The  Delegates 
embraced  the  most  distinguished  men  of  Maine,  including  the 
Judges  of  the  Supreme  and  other  Courts  of  Maine  and  the  Uni- 
ted States— the  Reverend  Clergy,  and  the  leading  business  men 
from  all  its  commercial  towns;  Among  the  distinguished  per- 
sons who  gave  the  closest  attention  to  the  proceedings  of  the 
Convention  was  observed,  Mr,  Grignon,  the  British  Consul  for 
Maine.  The  Delegates  from  the  Provinces  of  New  Brunswick 
and  Nova  Scotia,  many  of  them  were  chosen  by  the  freeholders 
of  the  Counties,  upon  a  requisition  from  the  Sheriff.  The  lead- 
ing members  of  Parliament  end  of  the  government  of  each  Prov- 
ince, were  in  attendance  as  delegates. 

The  Convention  assembled  at  1 1  o'clock,  in  the  City  Hall. 
Across  the  lower  end  of  the  Hall  was  erected  a  stage  for 
the  use  of  the  officers  and  speakers,  and  the  walls  were  hung 
with  maps  of  New  Brunswick,  Nova  Scotia,  Canada,  and  the 
New  England  States,  and  the  best  English  charts  of  the  sea- 
coast  of  the  United  States,  and  of  the  Atlantic  Ocean.  In  the 
rear  of  the  President's  chair  was  i  large  map,  V  feet  by  18 


16 

feet,  on  which  was  marked  out  the  proposed  route  for  the  entire 
line  from  Portland  to  Halifax,  or  its  other  terminus  at  White 
Haven,  prepared  under  the  direction  of  M.  H.  Perley,  Esq.,  of 
St.  John.  On  the  right  of  the  chair  was  suspended  the  Cross  of 
St.  George,  and  on  the  left  the  Stars  and  Stripes,  and  from  the 
top  of  the  building  the  flags  of  Great  Britain  and  the  United 
States,  floated  side  by  side. 

On  each  side  the  stage  the  most  ample  arrangements  were 
made  for  the  accommodation  of  Reporters,  and  in  front  of  the 
stage,  on  the  floor  of  the  house,  were  placed  the  desks  of  the 
Secretaries. 

At  precisely  11  o'clock,  the  Hon.  Ezekiel  Whitman,  late 
Chief  Justice  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  Maine,  called  the  Con- 
vention to  order,  and  spoke  as  follows  : — 
Gentlemen  of  the  Convention — 

We  are  assembled  from  remote  parts  of  the  Continent  for  the 
purpose  of  considering  the  best  modes  by  which  our  intercourse 
with  each  other  can  be  promoted.  I  leave  'o.,  younger  and 
more  active  men  the  task  of  pointing  out,  and  carrying  forward, 
the  great  end  in  view.  I  feel  that  it  is  my  years,  and  not  the 
information  or  knowledge  that  I  posses,  that  has  pointed  me  out 
for  the  performance  of  the  duty  of  calling  this  Convention  to 
order.  But  I  am  happy  to  have  the  opportunity  of  lending 
whatever  support  or  countenance  my  years  or  my  experience  can 
give  it.  Without  extending  my  remarks  I  will  take  the  liberty 
of  proposing  that  Hon.  Ichabod  R.  Chadbourne,  of  Eastport, 
shall  take  the  Chair  until  the  permanent  organization  of  the 
Convention. 

The  remarks  of  the  venerable  Judge,  were  pronounced  in  his 
clear  strong  voice,  and  received  with  a  hearty  expression  of 
applause  by  the  Convention. 

Mr.  Chadbourne  on  taking  the  Chair,  made  a  few  excellent 
remarks,  congratulating  the  city  of  Portland,  the  State  of  Maine, 
and  the  whole  continent,  upon  the  assembling  of  a  Convention 
to  consider  a  movement  of  such  vast  importance  to  all  who  speak 
the  English  tongue. 

He  congratulated  the  delegates  present  on  the  purposes  that 
had  called  them  together,  from  points  so  remote,  and  hoped  to 
see  the  Provinces  and  the  United  States,  bound  together  by  an 


KmWiH] 


17 

iron  chain,  that  nothing  but  time  could  sunder;  to  l)ind  their  in- 
terests, promote  their  happiness,  and  teach  the  civilized  world, 
that  it  was  better  to  live  together  as  brothers,  than  as  enemies. 
He  designated  Allen  Haines,  Esq.,  of  Portland,  and  George 
A.  Thatcheh,  Esq.,  of  Bangor,  as  preliminary  Secretaries. 

A  Committee  of  thirteen,  to  report  upon  the  permanent  organ- 
ization of  the  Convention,  was  then  appointed  as  follows,  viz.  : 
Hon.  Levi  Cutter,  of  Portland,  R  B.  Dickey,  Esq.  of  Nova  Sco- 
tia, R.  Jardine,  Esq.  of  New  Brunswick,  F.  R.  Angers,  Esq,  of 
Quebec,  Wm.  D.  Little,  Esq.  of  Portland,  E.  S.  Dyer,  Esq.  of 
Calais,  S.  P.  Strickland.  Esq.  of  Bangor,  Hon.  Toppan  Robie,  of 
Gorham,  Hon.  Wm.  Wright,  of  New  Brunswick,  Hon.  A. 
W.  H.  Clapp,  Neal  Dow,  T,  C.  Hersey,  of  Portland,  and  Hon. 
Ezekiel  Holmes,  of  Winthrop. 

This  Committee  retired,  and  in  the  course  of  half  an  hour  ap- 
peared and  announced  the  following  gentlemen  for  j  ermanent 
officers  of  the  Convention,  viz  : — 

His  Excellency,  Hon.  John  II  'bbard,  Governor  of  Maine,  President 
Vice  Presidents. 

Admiral  the  Hon.  Wm.  Fitzwilliam  Owen,  of  New  Brunswick. 
Hia  Worship,  Henry  Pryor,  Mayor  of  Halifax. 


of  St.  John, 
of  Fredericton. 
of  Portland, 
of  Bath. 

of  Roxbuiy,  Mass. 
of  Augusta. 


"  "         Henry  Chubb, 

"  "         John  Simpson, 

Hon.  James  B.  Cahoon, 

"     Freeman  H.  Morse, 

"     H.  a.  S.  Dearborn, 
Gen.  Alfred  Redington, 
Hon.  TiMO.  hy  Boutelle,  of  W  iterville. 

"     H.  C.  Seymour,  State  Eng!',^er  of  New  York. 

"     P.  M.  Foster,  President  of  the  Senate  of  Maine. 

"     Samuel  Belcher,  Spe-«.ker  of  the  House  Representatives  of  Me 

"     E.  L.  Hamlin,  of  Bangor. 

"     Anson  G.  Chandler,  of  Calais. 
J.  Bell  Forsyth,  Esq.  of  Q,uebec. 
Hon.  F.  H.  Allen,  Prof,  of  Law,  Cambridge,  Mass. 
Dr.  James  Robb,  Prof,  of  Natural  History  Coll.  of  New  Brun':,\vick. 

Secretaries. 
F.  R.  Angers,  Esq.,  of  Quebec. 
Allen  Haines,  Esq.,  of  Portland. 
Geo.  a.  Thatcher,  Esq.,  of  Bangor. 
Wm.  Jack,  Esq.,  of  St.  John, 
John  Ross,  Esq.,  of  Truro,  Nova  Scotia. 


18 


Hon.  Levi  Cutter,  chairman  of  the  preliminary  Committee,  was 
then  delegated  to  announce  to  Governor  Hubbard  hia  selection 
as  President  of  the  Convention. 

In  a  few  moments  the  Governor  appeared,  accompanied  by  the 
Committee,  attended  by  his  Aids,  Cols.  J.  M.  Adams  and  E.  E. 
Rico  and  taking  the  chair  addressed  the  Convention  as  follows  : 

Fellow-cilizcns  and  gentlemen  of  Ihe  Convention  : — I  thank  you 
for  the  distinguished  honor  you  have  conferred  upon  me,  in  call- 
ing me  to  preside  over  your  deliberations.  Such  service  as  I 
may  in  this  position  render,  in  promoting  the  important  objects  of 
this  meeting,  shall  be  cheerfully  and  impartially  bestowed. 

We  are  assembled,  fellow  citizens,  to  interchange  opinions, 
to  impart  mutual  information,  and  to  deliberate  upon  a  subject 
that  is  pregnant  with  consequences  of  the  highest  import  to  this 
and  future  generations.  It  is  no  less  an  object  than  to  ascertain 
the  best  channels  and  the  best  means  for  putting  us  in  direct  and 
speedy  communication  with  each  other  and  with  the  world  ;  to 
give  us  the  easiest  and  cheapest  means  for  the  interchange  of 
commerce  and  of  mind  ;  to  enable  us  to  develope  and  bring  into 
productive  energy  the  unparalleled  natural  resources  of  our  State ; 
in  short,  to  bring  us  in  communion  with  the  spirit  of  the  age. 

Maine  must  not  be  delinquent  to  herself  ;  we  may  not  be  re- 
creant to  ourselves  and  to  posterity. 

Our  brethren  of  this  beautiful  city  have  volunteered  to  become 
pioneers  in  a  railroad  enterprise,  worthy  of  the  State  and  of  the 
age.  With  a  spirit  of  self-sacrifice  which  does  honor  to  them- 
selves and  to  the  times,  they  have  staked  their  all  for  the  com- 
mon good  of  the  State. 

This  enterprise,  gentlemen,  is  however,  but  the  beginning  of 
the  end. 

We  want  accurate  knowledge  of  our  natural  facilities  for  com- 
munication ;  we  want  a  clear  comprehension  of  the  expenditures 
necessarily  involved  in  developing  such  facilities,  and  of  our 
ability  to  meet  such  expenditures  ;  then  only  can  we  advance 
with  safety  and  certainty. 

Then  shall  Maine  at  her  appointed  time,  attain  to  that  exalted 
rank  amongst  her  sister  states  which  she  is  destined  to  r  :i.ch. 

Brethren  of  the  British  Provinces,  we  bid  you  a  hearty  welcome. 
Most  cordially  will  we  unite  with  the  sons  of  our  father  land,  in 


■1 


i 


19 


all  the  measures  calculated  to  promote  our  common  good,  and  to 
advance  the  cause  of  freedom  and  humanity. 

These  remarks  were  received  with  hearty  demonstrations  of 
applause,  more  especially  on  the  part  of  the  delegations  from  the 
Provinces. 

At  the  invitation  of  the  President,  the  .several  Vice  Presidents 
took  their  places  upon  the  stage  ;  Admiral  Owen  was  conducted 
to  the  chair  on  the  right  of  the  President  by  several  members  of 
the  committee,  and  his  appearance  was  greeted  with  the  most 
enthusiastic  demonstrations  of  applause. 

The  Convention  being  organized,  Rev.  J.  W.  Chickering  was 
invited  to  invoke  the  divine  blessing  on  the  deliberations  of  the 
Convention,  which  he  did  in  a  most  appropriate  and  impressive 
manner. 

John  A.  Poor,  Esq.  chairman  of  the  committee  of  arrangements 
for  the  Convention,  then  arose  and  said  that  the  manner  in  which 
the  President  of  the  Convention  had  stated  the  objects  and  pur- 
poses of  their  assembling  together,  had  relieved  him  of  the  neces- 
sity of  stating  on  behalf  of  the  Committee,  a  single  word  further 
in  reference  to  the  purposes,  for  which  the  delegates  from  parts 
of  the  continent  so  remote  from  each  other,  had  met  in  Conven- 
tion, and  he  would  therefore  move  that  a  committee  be  appointed 
by  the  chair  to  report  upon  the  business  of  the  Convention. 

On  this  motion  the  following  gentlemen  were  appointed  : 

Hon  L.  A.  Wilmot  of  Frederickton,  David  A.  Ncal  of  Salem, 
Josiah  S.  Little  of  Portland,  George  W.  Stanley  of  Augusta,  I. 
R.  Chadbourne  of  Eastport,  S.  R.  Hunscom  of  Calais,  Hon.  J. 
W.  Johnston  of  Halifax,  John  Wilson  of  St.  Andrews,  John  H. 
Gray,  M.  P.  P.  of  St.  John,  M.  H.  Perley  of  St.  John,  R.  B. 
Dickey  of  Amherst,  N.  S.,  Hon.  J.  B.  Uniacke  of  Halifax,  Hon, 
Edwin  Bottsford  of  Westmorland,  A.  W.  Haven  of  Portsmouth, 
Ichabod  Goodwin  of  Portsmouth,  J.  Bell  Forsyth  of  Quebec, 
Hon.  Reuel  Williams  of  Augusta,  Hon.  T.  Boutelle  of  Water- 
ville,  John  Neal,  John  A.  Poor  of  Portland,  and  Hon.  F.  0.  J. 
Smith  of  Westbrook. 

On  motion  of  Mr.  Cahoon,  Mayor  of  Portland,  the  Conven- 
tion then  adjourned  to  3  P.  M. 

Afternoon. 

The  meeting  was  called  to  order  according  to  adjournment, 


20 


and  the  Committee  on  business  not  being  ready  to  report,  Hon. 
Robert  Uantoul,  Jr.,  of  Messachusctts,  was  called  upon  and  ad- 
dressed the  meeting  in  substance  as  follows  :     Mr.  R.  said, 

That  hi!  liiid  roiiii'  thcri'  for  tlic  purpoHc  of  inrDriiiiiig  hiiiiHrirofthc  pruclicabil- 
ity  of  a  speedier  iiitereoiirMo  with  Kiirope  hy  tin;  route  pro|iorie<l,  of  the  ohxtach!)* 
to  bo  overroiiie,  the  coHt  of  the  enterprise,  ami  the  degree  of  iiitcre«t  felt  along  the 
line,  of  all  which  niutterx  he  was  igiiorunt,  but  presumed  that  others  were  ready 
with  full  statements  of  these  particulars  essential  to  be  known.  As  I  am  called 
on  however  to  open  the  discussion,  said  he,  I  will  not  oiler  an  evil  (example  by 
declining  to  speak  what  is  within  my  knowledge,  and  geeins  to  be  pertinent  to 
this  occasion,  a  few  words  upon  the  iinportance  of  the  project  under  considern- 
tion.  Massachusetts  may  well  utter  her  voice  on  this  occasion,  for  her  sons  live 
along  the  line  you  propose,  a  line  to  coiuiect  Liverpool,  London  and  Paris,  tlie 
Hrilish  Islands  and  the  Old  World  Continent,  on  the  one  hand,  with  Boston,  New 
York,  Cincinnati,  and  JSt.  Louis,  with  the  Atlantic  slope,  the  basin  of  the  lakes, 
the  valley  of  the  Mississippi,  aiul  the  rising  Pacific  F.mpire  on  the  other  ;  the 
highway  between  the  accuniulated  numbers  and  wealth  of  all  rhristendom  and 
Pagandom  after  their  many  thousand  years  of  tardy  growth,  and  the  nation  whose 
young  energies  have  raised  her  from  i'  th';d  rate  to  a  first  rate  power  in  the  first 
half  of  the  nineteenth  century,  and  will  make  her  the  mightiest  empire  of  the 
world,  that  is  or  has  been,  with  her  hundred  millions  of  homogeneous  population, 
before  the  close  of  this  century. 

To  know  what  is  proposed  to  he  done,  is  to  know  at  once  the  vast  interests  in- 
volved in  its  accomplishment — interests  not  confined  to  one  age  or  to  one  conti- 
nent, but  broad  as  humanity,  and  lasting  as  time.  You  propose  to  cut  off  nearly 
one  third  from  the  interval  which  separates  one  division  of  our  race  from  the  oth- 
er. Doing  this,  you  will  multiply  and  strengthen  the  ties  of  friendship,  mutual 
benefit,  and  consequent  peace  in  a  greater  proportion  than  you  approximate  men 
ill  their  business  relations.  You  will  have  made  a  greater  practical  advance  than 
any  one  act  of  man  ever  yet  made  towards  combinuig  the  inhabitants  of  the  globe 
in  one  grand  brotherhood. 

What  demand  exists  for  a  .oad  from  the  United  States  through  Nova  Scotia, 
with  a  ferry  to  Ireland,  and  thence  across  the  British  Islands  to  Europe?  How 
shall  we  measure  the  use  likely  to  be  made  of  it  ?  Of  its  local  travel,  I  will  not 
speak,  because  I  see  those  here  who  can  estimate  it  from  personal  acquaintance 
with  the  country  ;  but  it  is  obvious  that  you  will  have  all  along  the  line  when 
completed,  that  which  has  gathered  in  Massachusetts  her  million  of  inhabitants, 
abundant  and  convenient  water  power  with  facilities  for  cheap  and  rapid  trans^ 
portation ;  and  you  will  have  besides  what  Massachusetts  has  not,  coal  ready  to 
your  hand,  inexhaustible,  and  associated  with  the  richest  mineral  treasures. 

The  number  of  emigrants  arriving  in  the  United  States  will  average  about  a 
thousand  a  day.  It  would  require  but  a  small  part  of  these  to  give  employment 
to  the  shortest  line.  With  business  passengers  the  time  to  be  saved  becomes.an 
important  element  in  the  choice  of  routes.  As  business  now  increases,  daily 
lines  of  steamers  will  soon  be  required,  and  it  is  hardly  credible  that  the  throngs 


21 


llifv  will  liriiig  will  spnid  thrfn  day'*,  cr  <'vpn  twn  tlriy,  on  tho  wny  wliirh  roiiM 
«0  caHily  lu"  tToiioiiii/i'd. 

Will  nur  iiitprrnurHt>  with  tli)<  Old  World  continup  tn  inonMiHu.'  I  doulit  it  iint: 
niid  at  nil  arctdcratiii);  ra'io.  Kvi'ry  addition  in  mir  coiiiiiiprro  and  iiaNi){iition 
cauiffs  II  ni!vv  iiinveiiK'iit  of  jtiiHfX'iigi'rs  to  look  after  their  iiiterestM  in  the  variom 
openitionH  going  on.  Modern  roininerre  in  almost  wholly  tho  growth  of  tliH 
present  century,  and  it  l)elongs  almost  wholly  to  two  nations,  (ireat  Britain  and 
ourselves. 

There  w  nothing  ho  wonderful  in  ihn  hiHtory  of  civilization  a»  the  Into  dpvelop«- 
nient  of  Commerce  :  nothing  so  wonderful  as  the  amazing  increase  of  Dritish 
Navigation  except  the  still  more  amnxing  increase  of  our  own.  The  IJritish  Um- 
pire has  her  four  millions  of  tons  of  shipping.  We  have  our  three  and  a  half 
millions  of  tons,  hut  about  one  million  of  tons  of  this  amount  has  lieen  added  in 
the  last  four  years — an  increase  equal  to  that  of  about  nine  times  nslorig  a  periinl 
from  1810.  New  York  has  no'.v  nior,<>  shipping  than  the  whole  British  F-mjiire 
had  during  the  war  of  the  Revolution.  This  State  of  ISInine  owns  and  builds  more 
tonnage  in  proportion  to  her  populatio  i  than  any  other  State  or  Nation  on  the  face 
of  the  globe. 

There  are  some  general  considerations  which  satisfy  me  that  this  sudden  and 
unexampled  developemcnt  of  commercial  induiitry  i.s  far  from  having  reached  its 
highest  point.  The  new  trade  of  the  Pacific  will  employ  more  shipping  than  the 
United  States  owned  when  the  Constitution  was  adopted.  The.se  dliijis  must  be 
huilt,  and  their  many  hundreds,  not  to  say  thousands  of  cargoes  supplied  mostly 
in  New  England  and  New  York.  The  returns  must  come  back  here,  and  when 
our  system  is  .saturated  and  the  channels  of  circulation  lilied  with  the  precious 
metals,  so  that  gold  is  worth  less  hero  than  abroad,  we  shall  become  a  gold  ex- 
porting nation,  and  import  what  Europe  has  to  sell  in  return  for  our  gold  as  well 
as  for  our  corn  and  our  cotton.  This  alone  will  add  many  luillions  to  the  annual 
aggregate  of  our  foreign  commerce. 

The  demand  abroad  for  our  agricultural  produce  can  be  met  more  readily  and 
more  fully  when  tho  rail  ways  of  the  Western  States  can  bring  the  crops  of  the 
interior  down  to  water  carriage  on  the  lakes,  and  rivers,  and  where  there  is  shiji- 
ping  enough  to  transport  it.  This  demand  already  exceeds  tlie  most  sanguine  ex- 
pectations. In  the  lust  four  years  we  have  exported  three  thousand  millions  of 
pounds  of  cotton,  worth  two  hundred  and  fifty  millions  of  dollars,  half  a  million 
of  hogsheads  of  tobacco,  ten  millions  of  barrels  of  flour,  ten  millions  of  bushels 
of  wheat,  forty  millions  of  bushels  of  corn,  half  a  million  of  tierces  of  rice,  be- 
sides animal  products  in  quantities  unprecedented,  all  at  prices  higher  than  the 
average  of  the  four  previous  years. 

Commerce  has  changed  its  entire  character  v\'ithin  a  short  period.  Formerly 
when  transportation  was  slow  and  costly,  it  was  only  articles  of  high  value  that 
would  bear  the  charge.  In  the  account  of  the  trade  of  tho  Roman  Empire  with 
the  East  Indies  in  the  time  of  Pliny,  averaging  the  cost  of  all  the  articles  named, 
of  which  prices  can  now  be  ascertained,  I  tiiid  they 'range  generally  from  fifty 
cents  to  more  than  a  dollar  per  pound  for  all  that  may  be  supposed  to  constitute 


22 


tho  bulk  nf  their  rnrgnp*,  (o  imy  ni>thing  (>f  gold,  geirii,  pcorlii  and  olijpctH  rarriiil 
jn  very  iiiimito  qunntilipn. 

It  ii*  quite  oliNJouR  that  n  very  Htiiiill  niiioiiiit  (if  toiiimgo  woij|<l  lin  NufTiriciit  for 
th«  roiniiierct!  of  the  world  while  it  wim  conriia'd  to  tlluse  articlcN.  Tiicy  Wfr** 
itold  ut  Koriic,  oHen  nt  two  or  three  hundred  per  rent,  on  the  fifMt  costt.  Vet  the 
liuHinesit  of  the  inerrlmnt  wiih  very  preciirioiw.  Of  eourxe,  a  few  |M!ri<unH  only 
conmiined  these  luxurieH.  The  ni;ii4!*  of  niiinkind  had  no  interest  in  eoninierce; 
they  rntiKunied  nothing  that  waH  not  of  doiiiestif  origin. 

Tuke  a  xingle  article  that  will  illuxtrate  the  change.  Hugar  was  once  Huld  hy 
the  drachm  for  Kupposed  medical  uhvh.  After  HUgar  wan  used  an  it  in  now,  two 
pounds  of  it  at  Venice  would  purchaHe  a  days  lahnr.  iS'ow  we  import  more  than 
a  hundred  thounand  tons  of  that  article  at  aliout  three  cents  a  |)ound,  in  addition 
to  our  homo  8upply,  Ixicauso  tho  clieapnesH  of  the  article  nllows  it  to  enter  into 
universal  consumption. 

So  great  are  the  improvements  in  navigation,  that  articles  an  bulky  in  propor- 
tion to  their  value  as  corn,  iron,  salt,  coal  and  ice,  can  be  profitably  carried  on 
long  voyages,  Flour,  sugar,  coffee,  and  cotton,  of  course  can  be  transported  at 
much  less  addition  to  their  original  cost.  The  great  uniss  of  the  domestic  exports 
of  tho  United  States  will  average,  taking  one  year  with  another,  not  fiir  from 
sixty  dollars  per  ton  weight;  n  fact  which  explains  the  creation  of  our  vast  mer- 
cantile marine,  increasing  without  a  parallel  in  the  annals  of  the  world. 

Commerce  is  now  an  instrument  of  the  comfort  and  well-being  of  tho  millions 
of  men  all  over  the  world,  instead  of  ministering  to  the  caprices  of  a  few.  I* 
must  expand  with  its  extended  sphere  of  action. 

This  expensive  tendency  is  promoted  by  the  new  policy  of  Great  Britain,  and 
some  other  nations,  who  have  lately  removed  some  of  the  principal  obstacles 
they  had  placed  in  the  way  of  their  own  connnerce.  Since  Great  Britain  en- 
couraged her  own  industry  by  allowing  her  laborers  to  make  their  purchases  in 
the  cheapest  market,  her  intercouse  with  us  has  advanced  with  rapid  strides. 
From  1845  to  1819,  the  aggregate  of  our  imports  fron>  and  exports  to  the  British 
dominions  had  increased  from  one  hundred  and  ten  millions  to  one  hundred  and 
sixty  millions  of  dollars,  our  imports  increasing  almost  forty  per  cent,  and  our 
exports  more  than  fifty  per  cent,  in  four  years.*  The  increase  in  our  Indian 
Corn  alone,  to  the  British  dominions,  in  the  year  1849,  which  was  not  a  year  of 
famine,  was  more  thtm  three  hundred  thousand  tons,  a  weight  greater  than  our 
whole  exports  of  cotton  a  few  years  ago.  ♦ 

The  corn  growers  of  Illiixoi.ii  want  rail  roads  and  must  have  them.  They  have 
little  spare  capital,  and  cmlA  cheap  rails,  on  good  terms.  They  have  corn,  not 
wanted  at  home,  but  waiifct  at  good  prices  by  the  makers  of  British  Iron.  One 
ton  of  corn  from  Illinois  laid  down  in  Liverpool  will  buy  a  ton  of  rails,  and  give 
employment  to  American  shipping  out  and  home.  Such  an  exchange  is  full  of 
benefits  to  all  parties.     There  is  no  danger  that  mankind  having  once  enjoyed 


'Imports  from  BritiKh  doiniiiioita, 
Export!  to  »•  '• 


1845. 
4fl,9n.'),T2.i 

r.  1 ,04';,r)35 

$110.948,2fiO 


1849. 
67,387,98,3 
93,172.3.39 

160,5«0,S22 


23 

..  <e  l><>nefitii  will  vnlnntnrily  rt'linquixh  them,  (iixl  Ii.h  not  rr<^nl(Hl  in  vnin  tlif- 
rcriMit  iuiiii4  iitiii  cliiniiti'  \  liiit  l>y  roiintantly  iiii|iro\  iiik  racilitii-n  of  iiili>rcoiir4<>,  llii> 
[)oo|>lit  of  imrh  cliiiiatc  iifcoiiiti  |i!irtici|i»iiti<  in  nil  llii^  mlviiiitagi'it  of  ••vrry  other. 
1  look  forward  thvii  to  a  futun-  for  roiiiiiit'rci*  far  lii'yoiid  the  iirrKviit  lirilliaiit  rt;- 
ality,  and  of  the  iiilcrcour'ti!  growing  out  of  that^  roiiuiiiTci',  tin-  itliortt'Mt  and 
(luicki'st  route  butwi-un  Ni'w  F.ngland  and  (Md  llugland  iiiUHt  Im>  a  niuiii  artery. 

Mr.  Rantoul's  remarks  were  received  with  ciitlm.siiixtiL  nitplniise. 
When  he  had  finished,  tlio  Cliairiiinn  of  tlio  Committee  on  Business, 
Mr,  Wiimot,  presented  lumself,  and  stated  that  the  Committee  would 
not  be  ready  to  report  till  to-morrotv  morning.  He  requested  on  the 
part  of  the  Committee,  that  tiiey  might  be  allowed  to  sit  duriiii,'  the 
Convention,  add  to  their  number,  and  from  time  to  time  report  upon 
such  business  as  might  be  deemed  necessary,  &c. 

His  report  was  accepted. 

Mr.  Poon,  of  Portland,  moved  that  memorials,  papers,  or  docu- 
ments, to  be  laid  before  the  Convention,  be  now  presented. 

Memorials  and  papers  embodying  resolutions,  &c.  of  meetings 
held  in  various  sections  on  the  route  or  routes  proposed,  were  then 
read,  some  tendering  money,  materials  and  facilities  in  aid  of  the 
great  vvork — and  evidencing  unlimited  enthusiasm  in  regard  to  it> 
viz: 

Hon.  J.  W.  Johnston,  of  Halifax,  submitted  a  memorial  from 
Granville,  N.  S.,  praying  for  the  adoption  of  the  route  to  St.  John, 
N.  B.,  and  thence  crossing  the  Bay  of  Fu.^dy  to  Digby,  in  Nova 
Scotia,  setting  forth  that  by  this  route,  il  could  be  built  cheaper  and 
through  a  better  country  than  that  of  any  other  route  proposed. 

We,  your  memorialists,  beg  leave  respectfully  to  suggest  to  your  As 
sembly  of  Delegates  the  propriety  and  expediency  of  adopting  the  route  of 
the  proposed  railway  communication  with  England  and  the  United  i^tutes, 
via  Halifax,  Windsor,  Falmouth,  Horton,  Aylesford,  and  the  volley  of 
Annapolis  on  the  Granville  side  of  the  Annapolis  River,  to  Digby  Gut, 
thence  crossing  the  Bay  of  Fundy,  by  steam  veasels,  to  St.  John. 

We  are  prepared  to  show  good  reason,  why  thi»  route  will  be  adopted  in 
preference  to  any  other,  when  the  several  routes  may  bo  more  thoroughly 
examined  by  competent  Engineers.  Assuming  St.  John,  N.  ii.  and  Halifax 
N.  S  to  b*  the  two  points  to  be  connected  by  railway,  the  distance  from 
St.  John  to  Halifax,  by  way  of  Dorchester,  Amherst  and  Truro,  is  271J 
miles.  The  Engineering  difficulties  by  this  route,  to  be  overcome  in  many 
places,  will  be  very  great,  particularly  in   passing   round   the   base  of  tba 


24 

Cobcqiiid  iMountainB.  e  distance  from  Malifax  to  the  Gut  of  Annapolis 

id  14U  miles.  The  advantajres  of  this  portion  of  tiie  route  f/om  Halifax  to 
Windsor  (47  miles)  will  be  more  fully  explained  to  ynur  delegation  by 
l<"rties  possessed  '"f  ful'.jr  and  more  accurate  information  than  your  memo- 
nulista. 

The  whole  of  the  remaining  portion  of  the  I'lie  crossing  the  Avon  River 
at  Windsor  —  say  95  miles — is  almost  an  uninterrupted  level,  but  two 
streams,  or  rivers  (viz  :  the  Avon  and  Gaspcreaux)  to  be  bridged  for  the 
wiic^le  distance,  with  the  exception  of  these  two,  the  other  streams  on  this 
route  are  but  mere  brooks,  the  largest  of  which  can  be  bridged  for  $500. 
Probably  no  country  in  North  America  presents  so  few  engineering  diffi- 
culties '.o  be  overcome,  tor  the  distance  of  OG  miles,  and  we  can  safely  as- 
sure your  .l'-^u.i-..,  that  a  railroad  can  be  constructed  on  this  route, 
cheaper  than  the  same  <^.istance  can  be  made  in  any  other  part  of  North 
America. 

Every  part  of  the  distance  is  occupied  bv  fertile  ard  ■;^roductive  farms, 
perhaps  in  the  whole  distance  you  will  not  proceed  a  mile  without  passing 
comfortable  and  substantial  farm  buildings  and  improvements;  every  con- 
venience for  subsisting  the 'vork  people  while  conbi.ucting  the  road,  and 
an  extremely  productive  country  for  contributing  passengers  and  freight 
for  the  support,  of  the  Road,  when  completed. 

In  the  upper  part  of  the  Annapolis  County,  the  Road  will  pass  adjacent 
to  imm^-nse  dcposites  of  Iron  Ore,  of  the  most  valuable  description  known 
to  exist ;  many  specimens  of  pure  Copper  are  found  upon  the  line  of  road, 
".nd  the  whole  country  is  exceedingly  rich  in  useful  minerals,  lying  now 
dormant  for  the  ivant  of  enterprise  and  capital  to  put  the  valuable  resourcpR 
of  tills  truly  beautiful  country  in  operation. 

The  Cornwallis  River  may  be  followed  up  on  the  South  Bank  to  the 
Aylesford  Plains,  where  it  takes  its  rise,  cs  does  also  the  Annapolis  P'ver; 
passing  betv'  'cn  the  heads  of  these  two  rivers,  the  Road  would  pass  down 
the  North  Bank  of  the  Annapolis  River,  in  the  township  of  Granville,  to 
Victoria  Beach, adjacent  to  the  Annapolis  Gut;  the  distance  fiom  thence  to 
St.  John  city  is  36  miles,  which  can  at  all  tl.jes  be  crossed  in  the  roughest 
weather,by  powerful  boats,  in  less  than  fou"-  hours,  and  inordinary  weather 
in  two  hours  and  a  half.  Victoria  Beach  is  accessible  at  all  times  of  tide  and 
i..  all  weather,  never  being  closed  by  ice  in  the  most  severe  w:  i.ers.  The 
Bay  of  Fundy  has  now  been  crossed  by  but  indiffere  ,t  steamers  for  twenty 
years  almost  weekly,  many  years  semi-weekiy,  and  yet  not  a  single  acci- 
dent has  tccurred,  resulting  either  in  iiie  loss  of  life  or  sieamer.  We  beg 
leave  to  suggest  to  »our  delegation,  that  the  route  now  presented  to  your 
notice  i«  \'M  miles  shorter,  railroad  distance,  thai>  any  other  route  from  St. 
John  to  Halifax;  the  only  inconve:)i?nce  is  the  86  miiea  of  steam  boating 
across  the  Bay  of  Fundy.      The  expense  of  constructing  131  mi)°8  extra 


Rail 


25 

Railroad  over  an  exceedingly  difficult  country,  to  balance  this   inconveni- 
ence, your  delegation  can  better  estimate  than   your  memorialists. 

We  therefore  lOgpeclfully  ask  that  your  delegation  ^viH  inquire  into  the 
merits  of  the  'Ini  low  suggested,  so  that  before  any  one  route  be  selected 
in  prefereni,">  vo  another,  the  country  may  be  fully  esamined  by  competent 
individuals  to  muke  the  proper  selection  for  so  important  an  undertaking 
as  that  of  uniting  the  most  powerful  and  Christian  countries  in  the  world 
by  ties  of  mutual  interests,  accommodations  and  benefit. 

Wishing  every  success  to  the  noble  enterprise  of  binding  the  Old  and 
New  World  together,  by  rapid  Railrond  and  Steam  Navigation  communica- 
tion, we  most  respectfully  submit  these,  our  views,  upon  the  subject. 


WESTON  HALL, 
JOHN  MILLS 
ALFRKDTROOl' 


Ol',^ 


Committee  for  the  Gramnlle 
MeetiniJi  to  forward  the  greiit 
Eastern  Railroad  Procecdiin's 


John  C.  Hall,  M.  P.  P.,  of  Kentville,  N.  S.,  then  presented  a 
series  of  resolr  ^ns  from  the  inhabitants  of  King's  County,  IN.  S., 
in  favor  of  the  .ame  route  —  stating  that  should  that  route  bo  se- 
lected, the  inhabitants  would  furnish  the  lands  for  the  route  through 
their  territory,  and  that  they  would  further  furnish  aid  in  money, 
labor  and  materials  to  the  amount  of  £25,000.  Mr.  Hall  further 
said,  that  if  any  ;.ther  route  was  chosen,  the  inhabitants  were  still 
ready  to  aid  to  the  full  extent  of  their  purses  in  the  prosecution  of 
the  work. 

RAILWAY  MEETING. 

A  meeting  of  the  inhabitants  of  King's  County  was  bsid  in  ^the  Court 
House  at  Kentville,  on  Wednesday,  24th  July,  1850,  agreeably  to  notice, 
for  the  purpose  of  ascertaining  the  views  of  the  Inhabitants  of  said  County 
in  reference  to  a  Railroad  froi.i  Halitax  to  Digby.  On  motion,  the  Sheriff 
was  appointfrt  Chairman,  and  Wm.  W.  Chipman,  Secretary.     It  was 

Resolved — 1.  That  it  is  the  opinion  of  this  meeting  that  a  Railroad 
from  Halifax  to  Digby  Gut  would  be  of  the  greatest  importance,  not  only 
to  this  County,  but  to  all  the  western  part  of  the  Province,  as  well  as  to 
Halifax  and  St.  John,  N.  B  ,  as  it  would  give  to  the  inhabitants  of  the 
level  and  fertile  Valley  reaching  from  the  River  Shubenacadie  to  Di^rby  a 
speedy  and  easy  transit  to  market,  a,  leady  communication  from  Elalifax  to 
St  John,  N.  B.,  and  along  the  whole  line,  shortening  the  distance  from  the 
two  Cities  over  one  hundred  mil^s  to  that  of  a  line  on  the  North  of  the 
Bay  of  Fundy,  and  at  far  less  expense  than  the  Northern  one  for  the  same 
distance. 


26 


Resolted— 2d.  That  it  is  the  opinion  of  tliig  meeting  that  the  Inhabi- 
tants of  this  County  will  cheerfully  furnish  the  Land  that  is  necessary  for 
a  Riiilroad  passini;  through  it;  also  aid  with  their  money,  labor  and  materi- 
als to  the  utmost  of  their  ability,  in  shares  amounting  to  £25,000. 

Resolved— 3d.  That  two  Delegates  be  appointed  to  meet  the  Conven- 
tion at  Portland,  in  the  United  States  of  America,  on  the  thirty-first  day  of 
July  instant,  ivith  instructions  tu  promote  and  influence,  as  far  as  po.ssible, 
the  decision  in  connecting  St.  John  with  Halifax  by  Railroad  through  An- 
napolis, King's  and  Haut's  Counties,  and  that  John  C.  Hall,  Esquire,  M. 
P.  P.,  and  Samuel  Chipman,  Esquire,  be  the  Delegates. 

Resolved— 4th.  That  the  said  Delegates  be  instructed  by  this  meeting 
to  call  upon  the  Delegates  from  Halifax,  Windsor,  and  elsewhere,  to  give 
tills  line  their  favorable  consideration  and  support. 


Kentville,  Kipo'b  Codntt,  ) 
24th  July,  iH50.  5 


Wm.  C.  CAMPBELL,  Chairman. 
Wm.  H.  chipman,  Sctre/ary. 


Mr.  Poor,  of  Portland,  presented  a  memorial  from  the  innabhants 
of  Pictou,  in  favor  of  the  Amherst  route,  (round  the  head  of  the 

Bay.) 

Court  House,  Town  of  Pict«u,  ) 
18th  July,  1850.  5 

At  a  meeting,  held  this  day,  of  the  freeholders  of  this  County,  pursuant 
to  a  call  of  the  Sheriff  m  accordance  with  a  requisition  for  tiiat  purpose, 

William  H.  Harris  Esq.,  Deputy  Sheriff,  was  called  to  the  Chair,  and 
A.  C.  McDonald,  Esq  ,  nominated  Secretary. 

Jas.  D.  B.  Fraser,  Esq.,  stated  the  objects  of  the  meeting,  and  alter  ad- 
dr>>sses  from  Dr.  Anderson,  Thomas  Dickson,  Esq.,  A.  C  McDonald,  A. 
P.  Ross,  and  B.  H.  Norton,  Esq.,  the  American  Consul,  on  motion  of  Jas. 
D.  B.  Fraser,  seconded  by  Mr.  Robert  Dawsoi,  it  was  unanimously 

Resolved,  That  in  common  with  other  sections  of  the  Province  of  Nova 
Scotia,  the  County  of  Pictou  has  enter' ained  and  expressed  a  deep  interest 
in  the  Halifax  and  Quebec  Railroad  as  originally  projected,  and  confidently 
hoped  that  by  the  cordial  and  united  action  of  the  three  Provinces  and  the 
powerful  aid  of  the  mother  country,  that  magnificent  and  useful  national 
undertaking  might  have  been  at  once  entered  upon — that  without  abandon- 
ing the  hope  of  the  ultimate  completion  of  a  line  of  Railroad  which  shall 
traverse  the  British  Provinces  and  terminate  on  the  Ailantic  coast  of  Nova 
Scotia,  this  meeting  is  reluctantly  forced  to  admit  that  the  project  must  now 
be  viewed  as  indefinitely  postponed.  Moved  by  John  Taylor,  and  seconded 
by  James  Ciiohton,  and 


'•] 


27 

Resolved— 2d.  That  this  meeting  liaa  observed  with  lively  interest  tlic 
movemi'nt  at  present  taking  place  in  tlie  United  Slates  and  the  Province  of 
New  Brunswick,  and  is  of  opinion  that  the  scheme  now  proposed  fjr  ex- 
tending the  lines  of  Railway  at  pre.  .nt  constructed  in  the  State  of  Maine 
througii  the  Provinces  of  .New  Brunswick  and  Nova  Scotia,  to  Halifax,  or 
some  eastern  port  in  Nova  Scotia,  by  way  of  Amherst,  is  the  most  feasible 
plan  yet  suggested  for  the  building  a  line  of  trunk  Railway  through  these 
Provinces  as  a  link  in  the  grand  line  of  comnuinication  between  the  old 
and  new  world,  and  is  therefore  deserving  of  the  warmest  support  of  every 
colonist.  Moved  by  Mr.  Robert  Dawson,  seconded  by  Hugh  H.  Ross  Esq. 
West  River,  and 

Resolved,  3d,That  the  Chairmi  n  of  this  meeting  be  authrrized  to  forward 
a  certified  copy  of  the  Resolutions  to  the  Chairman  of  the  Convention  at 
Portland,  and  ihal  he  also  transmit  a  duplicate  to  the  Hon.  G.  R.  Young, 
and  express  to  him  the  wish  of  this  meeting,  that  in  the  event  of  his  at- 
tending the  Convention,  he,  as  one  of  ihi  Representatives  of  this  County, 
use  his  influence  to  carry  out  the  object  of  this  meeting.  After  a  vote  of 
thanks  to  the  President  and  Secretary,  the  meeting  adjourned. 

WILLIAM  H.  HARRIS,  Chairman. 
A.  C.  MACDONALD,  Secretary. 


Memorial  presented  by  Dr.  Bayard,  of  St.  John,  N.  B.,  Delegate 
from  Annapolis,  N.  S.,  embodying  sentiments  of  a  meeting  held  in 
that  place,  of  the  same  purport  as  that  presented  by  Hon.  Mr. 
Johnston,  which  was  signed  by 


WM.  RANDALL, 
JAS.  J.  RITCHIE, 
PETER  BONNET, 
SAMUEL  B.  CHIl'MAN, 
RICHARD  AMES, 


WALTER  WILLETT, 
F.  W.  PICKMAN,* 
ALFRED  WHITMAN,* 
AUSTIN  WOODBURY, 
JOSEPH  WHEELOCK, 


JAMES  R.  SMITH,  Chairman  of  Committee  of  Management- 


*  TlicHC  two  gentlemen  were  on  Committee  to  prepare  Memorial. 


J.  B.  D.  Frazer,  Esq.,  M.  P.  P.  of  W  indsor,  N.  S.,  presented 
Reports,  Plan  and  Estimates  in  regard  to  the  Halifax  and  Windsor 
Railroad,  published  by  order  of  the  Government  of  Nova  Scotia, — 
also,  miautes  of  the  proceedings  of  House  of  Assembly  in  relation 
thereto,  as  follows : 


28 

Extract  from  the  Journals  of  the  House  of  Assembly,  Tuesday  and 
Wednesday.  26th  and  27lh  March,  1850. 

The  order  of  tlie  day  for  tlie  House  again  to  resolve  itself  into  a  Com- 
mittee, on  the  subject  of  ihe  Halifax  and  Windsor  Railroad  being  read, 

The  Houf  resolved  itself  into  such  Committee. 

Mr.  Speaker  left  the  Chair. 

Mr.  Dimock  took  the  Chair  of  the  Committee. 

Mr.  Speaker  resumed  the  Chair. 

The  Chairman  reported  from  the  Committee  that  they  had  gone  through 
the  subject  under  consideration,  and  iiad  come  to  a  Resolution  in  relation 
thereto,  which  they  had  directed  him  to  report  to  the  House,  and  he  de  '.y- 
ered  the  same  in,  at  thi>  Clerk's  table,  where  it  was  read,  and  is  as  follows  : 

"Resolved,  That  whenever  a  Company  shall  be  formed  for  the   con- 
struction of  such  Railroad,  the    Executive    Government  shall   be    and    is 
<;.  eby  authorized  to  subscribe  for  one  half   the   necessary   Stock,   under 
.  i  ■!■  ds  and  restrictions  as  may  appear  to   the   Governor    in   Council, 

jud;  ,  or  as  may  be  hereafter  prescribed  by  the  Legislature." 

And  the  said  Resolution  being  acain  read,  was  upon  the  question  put 
thereon  agreed  to  by  the  House. 

Ordered,  That  the  Clerk  do  carry  the  Resolution  to  the  Council,  and 
desire  their  concurrence. 

On  Wednesday,  27th,  1850,  the  Council,  by  message,  informed  the 
House  tliat  they  had  agreed  to  the  Resolution  in  relation  to  the  proposed 
Railroad  from  Halifax  to  Windsor. 

(Signed)  A.  JAMES,  C.  A. 


Proceedings  of  a  meeting,  held  in  the  County  of  Westmorland, 
presented  by  Hon.  E.  B.  Chandler. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  Principal  Inhabitants  of  the  County  of 
Westmorland,  held  at  the  Court  House  in  Dorchester,  on  Tuesday, 
the  twenty-third  day  of  July,  1850,  called  by  the  High  Sheriff,  in 
pursuance  of  a  Requisition  for  that  purpose. 

The  Hon.  William  Crane  having  been  called  to  the  Chair,  and 
Thomas  S.  Sayre,  Esq.  requested  to  act  as  Secretary,  the  following 
Resolutions  were  unanimously  passed. 

Moved  by  Stephen  Binney,  Esq.,  Seconded  by  John  Robb,  Esq. 

^'Eisolved,  As  the  opinion  of  this  meeting,  that  the  construction  of  the 
proposed  line  of  Railway  from  the  Frontier  of  the  United  States  around 
the  head  ot  the  Bay  of  Fundy  to  Halifax,  is  of  the  utmost  importance  to 


29 

111''  welfare  and  prosperity  of  this  Province,  am!  that  the  Inhabitnnts  of 
this  County,  in  particular,  should  promote  tlie  underiaking  by  every  means 
in  their  power  ;  therefore 

Resolved,  That  a  Committee  be  appointed  to  correspond  and  co-operate 
witl»  such  Committees  as  may  be  appointed  in  St.  John,  or  elsewhere,  for 
the  purpose  of  organizing  Companies,  and  taking  such  other  steps  as  may 
be  necessary  for  prornuting  this  great  work  as  speedily  as  possible,  and 
that  the  following  gentlemen  do  compose  such  Committee?  : 


Hon.  VVM.  CR.\NE, 
Hon.  DAKL  II ANNINGTON, 
BLISS  BOliSFORD,  Esq., 
ROBERT  CHAPMAN,  Es(i., 
Hon.  a.  E.    BOTSFORU, 


Ho.v.  E.  B.  CIIAiNDLER, 
STEPHEN  BINNEY,  Es.*. 
W.  H.  BUCKERFD,  Esci. 
JOHN  ROBB,  Esq., 
THOS.  S.  SAYRE,  Esq. 


That  the  Committee  have  power  to  add  to  their  number,  and  that  any 
three  members  form  a  quorum." 

Moved  by  Hon.  D.  Hannington,  Seconded  by  Bliss  Bofsford,  Esq. 

"Resolved,  That  it  is  the  duty,  as  well  as  the  interest,  of  the  Inhabitants 
of  this  County,  to  promote  the  undertrMng  by  liberally  subscribing  for 
Stock  therein." 

Moved  by  John  Robb,  Esq.,  Seconded  by  Mr.  John  Hickman,  Jr. 

'^Resolved,  That  a  Delegation  be  now  appointed  by  this  meeting  to  at- 
tend the  proposed  Railroad  Convention,  to  be  held  at  Portland  in  the  State 
of  Maine,  on  the  Slstinst,  and  that  the  Hon.  A  E  BOTSFORD,  Hon. 
E.  B  CHANDLER,  and  STEPHEN  BINNEY  Esq.,  be  the  Delegates 
for  that  purpose." 

WILLIAM  CRANE,  Chairman. 
THOMAS  J.  SAWYER,  Secretary 


Resolutions,  Sec,  of  a  meeting  in  the  County  of  Colchester,  N.  S., 
presented  by  John  Ross,  Esq.,  of  Truro. 

Railwav  Meeting,  County  of  Colchester,  ) 
20th  July,  1850.  5 

Public  notice  having  been  given  by  the  Sheriff  of  the  County  that  a 
meeting  would  be  held  at  the  Court  Hcise  in  Truro  on  the  20lh.  day  of 
July  inat.  At  the  hour  appointed  a  respectable  n>eeting  assembled  —  when 
Alex.  L.  Archibald,  Esq.,  M,  P.  F.  was  chosen  Chairman,  and  Ebeh, 
F.  MuiiRO,  Esq  ,  Secretary. 

The  object  of  the  Meeting  wag  stated  by  the  Chairman,  and  its  impor- 
tance pressed    upon  the  audience.    And  af\er  some   animated  and  urgent 


30 


appcaU  being  made  by    Messrs.  Robs,   A.  G.  Arcliibald,   and  others.     The 
following  llfsolutions  were  passed  unanimously. 

IIesoi.vei)  — 1.  Tliat  the  people  of  thisCounty  assembled  in  Public  Meet- 
ing, have  on  repealed  occasions  expressed,  and  now  repeat  the  expression 
of  their  desire  to  promote  in  all  possible  wayi^the  Halifax  and  Quebec  Rail- 
way. That  in  the  opinion  of  this  meeting  the  proposal  recently  made  to 
connect  Halifax  witii  St.  John  and  Bangor,  via.  Calais  by  which  the  stream 
of  travelling  from  Europe  to  the  United  States  and  back,  shall  be  made  to 
pass  through  our  Province  is  one  of  vast  importance  whether  viewed  by 
itself  or  in  connection  with  the  original  project,  and  recommends  itself  to  our 
hearty  concurrence  and  support, 

Resoltkd — 2d.  That  this  meeting  entertain  the  same  convictions  which 
have  been  expressed  at  former  meetings  of  the  County,  that  the  Mineral, 
Agricultural,  andC  ommercial  resources  of  the  Counties  of  Halifax,  HautR, 
Colchester,  Cumberland,  and  Pictou,  are  of  themselves  sufficient  to  war- 
rant the  building  of  a  Railway  from  Halifax  to  the  border  of  New  Bruns- 
wick ;  that  the  proposal  now  made  to  consider  this  a  section  of  a  great  Trunk 
Railway  permeating  every  State  of  the  Union,  adds  greatly  to  the  prospect 
of  a  profitable  investment  :  and  to  show  the  entiresincerity  of  this  meeting 
in  the  views  they  express  they  ore  willing  that  the  County  of  Colchester 
may  be  pledged  to  support  the  section  through  Nova  Scotia  to  the  extent  of 
four  thousand  pounds  per  annum  :  considering  this  portion  of  the  road  ap- 
plicable to  either  or  both  routes,  from  Halifax  to  Bangor,  and  from  Halifax 
to  Quebec. 

Resolved — 3d.  That  this  County  with  a  view  to  bring  in  the  most  effi- 
cient  form  before  the  meeting  to  take  place  at  Portland  on  the  31st  inst.,  the 
views  and  feelings  ot  the  County  of  Colchester  in  connection  with  the 
above  mentioned  Railroad  and  to  ascertain  in  return  the  views  and  feelings 
of  the  inhabitants  of  tiie  North-Eastern  States  will  appoint  delegates  to  at- 
tend the  Convention. 

Resolved — 4th.  That  in  the  opinion  of  this  meeting  the  Legislature 
should  be-petitioned  to  make  their  pledge  of  £20,000  given  to  guarantee  the 
interests  on  the  portion  of  the  Road  within  this  Province  as  part  of  the 
Halifax  and  Quebec  Railway,  applicable  to  the  same  section  road,  whether 
to  form  part  of  either  or  both  of  the  above  routes. 

Resolved— 5th.  That  the  Messrs.  John  Ross,  and  Hiram  Hyde  be  ap- 
pointed delegates  to  attend  the  Convention  at  Portland. 

Resolved— 6th.  That  a  subscription  list  be  opened  for  the  purpose  of 
raising  funds  to  pay  the  necessary  expenses. 

The  thanks  of  the  meeting  were  then  given  to  the  Chairman  for  his  effi- 
cient conduct  in  the  chair,  and  the  meeting  separated  elated  with  the  pros- 
pect now  opening  before  them  of  having  a  Railway. 

A.  L.  ARCHIBALD,  Chairian. 
E.  F.  MUNRO,  Secrilarv. 


31 


The 


Papers  presented  and  statements  made  by  Mr.  Kerr,  in  reference 
to  the  "nearest  possible,  route  "  &c.,  which  he  requested  to  be  al- 
lowed to  demonstrate  before  the  Committee  on  Business — a  request 
which  was,  on  motion,  granted  him. 

At  a  public  meeting  at  Wallace  in  the  County  of  Cumberland  the  23d 
day  of  July,  ISoO,  for  the  purpose  o(  taking  into  consideration  the  proprie- 
ty  of  sending  a  delegate  from  this  place,  to  thb  convention  to  be  held  at 
Portland,  Me.,  on  the  31st.  inat. ,  for  the  purpose  of  adopting  such  measures 
as  rr.ay  tend  to  forward  the  construction  of  a  Railway  from  the  city  of  Ban- 
gor, through  New  Brunswick  and  Nova  Scotia,  tu  some  suitable  terminus 
on  the  Eastern  shore  of  this  Province. 

JoFin  Macfari.and  in  the  Chair,  and  William  B.  Oxlet,  Secretary. 

The  Chairman  having  opened  the  meeting  by  fully  explaining  ihe  pur- 
pose of  the  meeting  and  the  necessity  of  the  same. 

Josep^i  N.  B.  Kerr,  Esq.,  Stephen  Fulton,  Esq.,  M.  P.  P.  for  the  County. 
Rev.  W.  fieels,  severally  adressed  the  meeting  upon  the  importance  of  the 
Railroad  and  the  necessity  of  sending  u  Delegate  from  the  place.  Where- 
upon the  following  resolutions  were  unanimously  passed  : 

lat.  Moved  by  John  Hill,  Esq  ,   seconded  by    Robert  Greeder — 

Resolved,  Th«t  this  meeting  being  fully  aware  of  the  great  importance 
of  a  Railread,  fr^m  the  city  of  Bangor,  U.  S.,  leading  through  New  Bruns- 
wick ond  Nova  Scotia;  highly  appreciate  the  interest  which  the  citizens  of 
the  Slate  of  Maine  arc  taking  in  order  to  favor  its  construction. 
2d.  Moved  by  Doctor  S.  Mitchel,  seconded  by  William  McNab, — 
Reiolvep,  That  it  is  highly  necessary  that  a  fit  tmd  proper  person  be 
appointed  by  this  meeting  as  a  delegate  to  the  said  Convention  to  co-operate 
with  R.  B.  Dickey,  Esq.,  appointed  as  a  delegate  by  the  Western  end  of 
the  County. 

3d.  Moved  by  Thomas  Morris,  Esq.,  seconded  by  John  Hill, — 
Resolved,  That  Joseph  N.  B.  Kerr,  Esq.,  be   appointed  by  the  meeting 
as  a  delegate   from  the    Eastern   end  of  this   County  —  to  attend  the  said 
Portland  Convention.  JOHN  McFARLAND,  Chairman. 

W.  B.  OXLEY,  Secretary. 

At  a  Public  Meeting  held  in  the  Town  Hall,  Pugwash,  the  23d.  July, 
185U,  the  folio winglResolutions  were  passed  unanimously  : 

Resolved— 1.  That  whereas  this  meeting  being  fully  impressed  with  the 
conviction  that  great  advantages  would  be  derived  by  the  people  of  these 
Provinces  and  the  Sister  Province  of  New  Brunswick,  by  a  Railroad,  pass- 
ing through  them  to  connect  with  the  Railroad  now  in  the  course  of  construc- 
tion in  the  State  of  Maine,— Do  further  resolve  that  the  better  route  would 
be  the  land  line  fror-  the  city  of  St.  John,  N.  B.,  to  Amherst,  N.  S.,  from 
thence  to  Halifax  by  the  most  approved  line. 


32 

Resoi.tjcd --2d.  Tlint  whereas  R.  B.  Dickpy,  Esq.,  having  been  nomi- 
nated and  appointed  as  a  delcjjale  to  the  ineetng  of  delegates  lo  be  held  in 
Portland,  Stale  of  Maine,  on  tiie  31rtt.  inst  ,  to  advocate  the  interest  of  the 
Western  Section  of  the  County  of  Cumberland  —  do  further  resolve  to 
nominate  and  appoint  some  eflicient  person  to  attend  at  the  said  meeting  ot 
delegates  to  attend  to  the  interests  of  t)ie  people  in  the  Eastern  Section  of 
the  County. 

Rksolvk-1— 3d.  That  whereas  Joseph  N.  13.  Kerr,  Esq.,  of  Wnll.ice  hav- 
ing laken  an  early  interest  on  the  Railroad  question  and  having  devoted 
much  time  and  moiiey  both  in  this  Province  and  in  Great  Britain  in  en- 
deavoring to  urge  the  construction  of  a  Railway  from  some  Atlantic  Port 
in  Nova  Scotia  to  Quebec,  and  being  well  acquainted  with  the  statistics  of 
Railroads  as  well  as  with  the  nature  of  the  localities  through  which  the 
projected  Railroad  would  be  likely  to  run  ;  this  meeting  do  further  resolvo 
that  the  said  J.  N.  B.  Kerr  be  solicited  to  attend  the  meeting  of  Dele- 
gates to  be  held  at  Portland,  State  of  Maine,  on  the  Slst.  inst.,  and  that 
he  be  requested  not  to  urge  at  said  meeting  any  particular  Port  as  the  Por^ 
of  terminus. 

Resot.ted— 4th.  That  Joseph  N.  B.  Kerr,  Esq.,  be  presented  with  a  copy 

of  the  foregoing  resolutions,  and  this  meeting  do  further  acquaint  the  said 

J.  N.  B.  Kerr  that  this  meeting  has  every  confidence  in   him  as  a  delegate, 

knowing  that  he  will  advance  the  interftsts  of  this  section  of  the  County  as 

far  as  possible.  COLEN  REED,  Chairman. 

WM.  COOPER,  Stcretary. 
PuGWASH,  33d  July,  1850. 


■ 


^ 


Proceedings  of  a  meeting  held  at  Amherst,  Cumberland  Coun- 
ty, N.  S.,  presented  by  John  A.  Poor,  Esq. 

RAILWAY  MEETING  AT  AMHERST,  NOVA  SCOTIA. 

Pursuant  to  a  requisition  to  the  High  Sheriff,  a  public  meet- 
ing of  the  inhabitants  of  the  County  of  Cumberland  was  held  in 
the  County  Court  House  on  Tuesday  the  sixteenth  instant,  to 
take  into  consideration  what  steps  should  be  adopted  to  forward 
the  proposed  scheme  of  a  Railway  around  the  head  of  the  Bay 
of  Funday  to  Halifax  in  connection  with  an  American  line  through 
Portland,  Calais,  &c. — The  meeting  was  attended  by  a  large 
number  of  the  leading  men  of  all  parties,  who  appeared  alive  to 
its  object,  and  disposed  to  urge  onward  the  scheme  by  all  possi- 
ble means. 

Joshua  Chandler,  Esq.,  High  Sheriff,  was  called  to  the  Chair. 


way, 
deler 


33 


A.  Mucfarlanc,  E:»<[.,  appointed  Secretary.  And  the  following 
Rpsnlutions,  after  being  discussed  r.nd  warmly  commended  by 
numerous  gentlemen,  who  addressed  the  meeting,  in  their  luvor, 
were  put  and  carried  unanimously. 

Moved  by  Robert  B.  Dickey,  Esq.,  seconded  by  James  Fuller- 
ton,  Esq. 

1.  Resolved,  Tluit  this  inuoting  \»  deeply  impressed  wilh  the  importance  to  the 
interest  of  this  County  iis  well  as  of  tlie  I'rovince  at  large,  of  a  lino  of  Riiiiway 
ti)  conn(!et  Miilifax  with  tho  .American  frontier  by  the  head  of  the  Hay  of  I'undy 
and  St.  John,  Calais,  &c. 

Moved  by  James  L.  Morse,  Esq.,  seconded  by  Jamc.«  W.  De- 
laney. 

2.  iti'so/ytvZ,  That  the  advantage  of  such  a  line  embracing  a  large  portion  of 
the  traffic  to  the  United  States,  and  the  Canadas,  St.  John,  and  the  most  popu- 
lous portions  of  New  Brunswick,  Prince  Edward's  Island,  and  the  (iulf  of  Ht. 
Lawrence  with  that  of  Pictou,  Colchester,  Cumberland  and  Halifax  Counties, 
are  so  obvious,  that  this  meeting.convinced  that  the  stock  of  this  great  Railway  will 
be  a  most  profitable  investment,  desire  to  record  their  opinion  that  the  peoph;  of  this 
County  will  embark  largely  according  to  their  means  in  the  undertaking,  by  tak- 
ing stock,  subscribing  land,  labor,  &c. 

Moved  by  Dr.  Tupper,  seconded  by  John  D.  Kinnear,  Esq. 

3.  Resolved,  That  Robert  B.  Ciclw.,,,  Esq.,  be  appointed  a  delegate  to  repre- 
sent the  interests  of  this  County  at  the  proposed  Convention  to  he  held  in  Pcrt- 
'and,  on  the  31st  inst.,  and  to  assure  that  body  of  the  warm  interest  felt  by  the 
inhabitants  of  Cumberland  in  the  progress  of  this  noble  undertaking. 

Moved  by  Robert  McCally,  Esq.,  seconded  by  James  Page, 
Esq. 

4.  Resolved,  That  the  Chairman  and  Secretary  of  this  meeting  be  desired  to 
forward  a  copy  of  these  proceedings  to  the  Provincial  Secretary,  and  to  respect- 
fully invite  the  countenance  and  co-operation  of  the  Provincial  Government,  in 
reference  to  the  objects  of  this  meeting,  and  that  copies  thereof  be  also  transmit- 
ted to  the  Committee  appointed  at  a  public  meeting  held  in  St.  John  on  Saturday, 
the  6th  inst.,  and  to  the  Convention  at  Portland. 

John  Bent  ,  Esq.,  was  then  called  to  the  Chair,  and  on  motion 
of  James  Page,  Esq.,  seconded  by  W.  W.  Bent  Esq.,M.  P.  P., 
the  unanimous  thanks  of  the  meeting  were  tendcrd  to  the  Chair- 
man, and  after  three  cheers  for  the  Halifax  and  Portland  Rail- 
way, the  meeting  dispersed,  to  meet  again  on  the  return  of  their 
delegate  from  the  Portland  Convention. 

JOSHUA  CHANDLER,  Chairman. 
A.  Macfarlane.  Secretary. 
Amherst,  July,  1850. 


31 

Proceedings  of  a  meeting  held  at  Annapolis  Royal,  was  present- 
ed by  John  A.  Poor,  Esq., 

At  a  meeting  held  at  Annapolis  Royal,  Nova  Scotia,  on  the 
IGth  July,  1850,  "  pursuant  to  a  requisition  to  the  High  Sher-'F 
of  the  County,"  for  the  purpose  of  eliciting  an  expression  of  the 
feeling  of  this  County,  with  regard  to  the  laying  of  a  lineof  rail- 
way proposed  to  be  constructed  to  Halifax,  in  connection  with 
that  now  in  progess  from  Portland  to  Calais,  in  the  United  Stat  s, 
Edward  II.  Cutler,  Esq.,  was  unanimously  called  to  the  chair, 
and  Edward   C.  Cowling,  Esq.,  Secretary. 

F.  W.  Pickman,  Esq.,  Robert  Byard,Esq.,  M.  D.»  and  other 
gentlemen,  then  addressed  the  meeting. 

Moved  by  Alfred  Whitmen,  Esq.,  M.  P.  P.,  and  unanimously, 

Resolved,  That  a  comiriittee  be  appointed  to  co-operate  with  coiiunittecH  to  be 
appointed  at  Bridgetown  and  Wihnot,  or  from  any  other  section  of  tiie  County, 
for  the  furtheriince  of  the  object  of  this  meeting,  and  to  report  their  proceedings 
to  the  next  meeting  at  Annapolis. 

The  committee  to  consist  of  the  following  gentlemen,  viz  : 

James  J.  Ritchie,  Peter  Bonnett,  and  Walter  Willett,  Esqs. 

A  draft  of  a  memorial  was  then  submitted  by  F.  W.  Pickman, 
Esq.,  addressed  to  the  convention  at  Portland,  which  was  unan- 
imously adopted.  > 

Resolved,  That  a  committe  of  three,  to  consist  of  the  following  gentlemen,  viz: 
Peter  Bonnett,  Alfred  Whitman,  and  F.  W.  Pickman,  Esqs.,  be  appointed  for 
the  purpose  of  forwarding  a  copy  of  said  memorial  to  the  Convention  at  Portland. 

F.  W.  Pickman  was  unanimously  chosen  a  delegate  to  pro- 
ceed to  Portland. 

Moved  by  Robert  Bayard,  Esq.,  M.  D.,  and  seconded  by  Al- 
fred Whitman,  Esq.,  M.  P.  P.,  and— 

Resolved,  That  a  memorial  to  the  Governor  and  Council  be  prepared,  praying 
that  a  line  of  Railway  from  Windsor  to  the  Annapolis  Gut  be  immediately  ex- 
plored. 

The  thanks  of  the  meeting  were  then  voted  to  Dr.  R.  Bayard, 
and  also  to  the  Chairman  and  Secretary. 
The  meeting  then  adjourned  sine  die. 

Edward  H.  Cutler,  Chairman. 
Edward  C.  Cowling,  Sec'y. 


Resolutions  of  a   meeting  at   St.  John,  N.    B.,  presented  by 
Hon.  J.  H.  Gray,  M.  P.  P. 


, 


35 

PUBLIC  MEKTING-TIIK  EASTERN  RAIL  ROAD. 

One  of  the  largest,  most  respectable,  nrul  most  oiitliiisiastic 
public  meeting:!  ever  htid  in  St.  John,  took  place  at  tlio  Court 
House  yesterday  afternoon, to  take  into  consideration  the  circular 
addressed  to  this  City  by  inhabitants  of  Portland,  on  the  subject 
of  the  Great  Eastern  R.  Road  The  high  Sheriff,  C.  Johnston, 
Esq.,  was  put  in  the  Chair  by  acclamation,  and  VV.  R.  M.  Hurtis, 
Esq.,  called  upon  to  act  as  Sec'ry.  VVe  have  not  time  today  to 
notice  the  respective  speeches,  all  of  which  were  very  excellent 
and  to  the  purpose.  Aa  a  proof  of  the  enthusiasm  of  the  meet- 
ing, several  of  the  speakers,  backed  up  their  remarks,  by  prom- 
ising to  take  stock  in  tho  contemplated  line,  in  the  several  sums 
of  JE500,  jEIOOO  and  JE-2000.  The  inhabitants  of  New  Brumswick 
may  fully  make  up  their  minds  that  the  Eastern  Rail  Road  w  ill 
be  built,  f.nd  it  is  the  duty  of  every  one,  poor  and  rich,  to  step 
forward  when  the  time  arrives,  and  subscribe  in  accordance  with 
their  means.  Success  to  the  cause,  we  say,  with  all  our  heart. 
The  following  are  the 

RESOLUTIONS  : 

Moved  by  Edward  Allison,  Esq.,  seconded  by  J.  H.  Gray, 
Esq. 

1.  Resolved,  That  this  meeting  heartily  approves  of  tlie  projected  line  of  rail- 
way from  Calais  in  the  State  of  Maine,  through  New  Brunswick,  by  St.  John, 
Sussex  Vale,  around  the  head  of  the  Bay  of  Fundy,  through  Westmoreland 
and  Cumberland,  to  Halifax,  as  affording  an  uninterrupted  Railway  Comnninica- 
tion  at  all  seasons,  for  passengers,  mails,  and  traffic,  between  Europe  and  all  [)arts 
of  North  America. 

Moved  by  James  Whitney  Esq.,  seconded  by  William  Wright 
Esq., 

2.  Resolved,  As  the  opinion  of  this  meeting,  that  the  contemplated  Lineof  rail- 
way besides  being  eminently  useful  and  advantageous  both  to  New  Brunswick  and 
Nova  Scotia,  cannot  fail  to  Iw  profitable  to  its  proprietors. 

Moved  by  Robert  Jardine,  Esq.,  seconded  by  M.  H.  Perley, 
Esq. 

3.  Resolved,  That  it  is  the  duty,  as  it  certainly  is  the  uiterest  of  every  inhabi- 
tant of  New  Brunswick,  to  aid  to  the  best  of  his  ability,  either  in  money,  land, 
labor,  or  materials,  the  construction  of  this  Trunk  Railway,  which  will  so  greatly 
tend  to  advance  the  prosperity  of  the  whole  Province. 


36 


Moved  by  R.  D.  Wilmot,  Ksq.,  spconded  l>y  W.  J.  Ritcliio, 
Es(i  , 

».  Rrvilvfil,  Thiit  lii'stidi'H  the  nHnintanci!  which  it  Ia  ilii-  duty  of  thn  peopin  of 
New  Flrunswirk  iriilividuiiUy,  to  givis  to  thn  Rnilwiiy  uiuh'r  roiiHidcnlion,  thi! 
f,fg'Hl,itiirc  nlioiild  iiImo  hcriilli'd  upon  to  nid  in  it«  ronntruntioii,  liy  hhcriil  grjiiitn 
of  liiml,  and  ihn  loiin  of  tin-  pul)ii('  rredit. 

Moved  by  D.  J.  McLauchlan,  Esq.,  seconded  by  S.  L.  Tiiley, 
Esq., 

5.  Rfsolvctl,  Thnt  thin  meeting  view  witli  lively  interest  the  nioveniont 
which  has  recently  taken  place  in  Portland  (Maine)  in  reference  to  the  proposed 
line  of  Railway,  and  will  cordially  co-operato  in  any  practirahle  plan  which  may 
he  devised  for  Hecuring  its  construction  ;  and  further  Flesolved,  That  this  meeting 
now  proceed  to  nominate  delegates  to  attend  the  Railway  convention  to  bo  held 
at  Portland  on  the  31st  inst. 

The  following  list  of  gentlemen  nominated  as  delegates,  was 
read  by  the  High  SherifT,  and  carried  unanimously — viz  : 

His  Worship  the  Mayor  ;  the  High  Sheriff  ;  the  Recorder  ; 
the  Attorney  General  ;  the  Advocate  General  ;  D.  J.  McLauch- 
lan ;  Edward  Allison  ;  Robert  Jardine  ;  Dr.  Bayard  ;  J.  H. 
Gray  ;  Mr.  Jack  ;  M.  H.  Perley  ;  J.  C.  Littlchale  ;  Tames 
MacFarlano  ;  John  Soars  ;  Otis  Small  ;  Joel  Reading  ;  '  lund 
Kaye  ;  Thomas  E.  Millidge  ;  A.  McL.  Seely. 

Moved  by  VVm.  Wright,  Esq.,  seconded  by  Robert  Payne, 
Esq., 

6.  Reso'  fed,  That  this  meeting  fully  approves  the  preliminary  steps  which  have 
been  taken  by  the  Committee  appointed  at  a  meeting  called  by  the  Chamber  of 
Commerce,  on  the  6th  inst.,  and  is  gratified  to  learn  that  an  exploratory  survey 
of  the  line  for  a  rail-way  from  this  City  to  Calais,  has  already  been  officially  or- 
dered. 

Moved  by  J.  H.  Gray,  seconded  by  Wm.  Wright,  Esq. 

7.  Resolved,  That  the  thanks  of  this  meetieg  are  due  and  are  hereby  tendered 
to  the  different  Telegraph  Companies  between  Halifax  and  Portland  for  their 
gratuitous  services  rendered  in  behalf  of  the  projected  Railway. 

Moved  by  H.  Porter,  Esq.,  seconded  by  R. D,  Wilmot,  Esq. 

8.  Resolved,  That  the  Chairman  do  leave  the  chair,  and  His  Whorship  the 
Mayor  take  the  same,  which  being  carried,  it  was  moved  and  seconded  by  the 
same  gentlemen  that  the  thanks  of  the  meeting  be  given  to  the  high  Sheriff  for  his 
very  dignified  and  impartial  conduct  in  the  Chair — carried  unanimously,  as  were 
also  all  of  the  preceding  resolutions." 


I 


37 


Prncecdings   of  n   meeting   nt    St.    Stephens,    prcHcntrd   by 

Geor<^(!  'I'lininpson,  Hsq. 

/  St.  SrLi'iiK.N-,  N.  IJh!  N«wii  K,  > 

•        July  2H,   IHftO.      ) 

Thi.4  may  ccrtiry,  tint  ;it  a  piililii'  iiii'illni^  lulil  al  tliii  placi-  on  23<l  iiitt.,  n-la. 
li\)!  til  till'  riiiiti'iii|iiati-il  llailroiil  liiMwi'i'ii  llalil'as  and  i'ortlaml, 

Tht>  uiulurnaiMisl  gi'iitlfiiiun  wi-r<>  iiriaiiiiiiou^ly  cIumhii  (leltgatrx  to  atli'iul  the 
roiui'iitiiiii  to  iiii'i't  at   I'ortlaiul  on  tin;  3li4t  July,  ii).«tuiit,  arul  at  wliii'li  iiii-(>titi}( 
till*  tiilliiwin|(  ri'Kiiliitioiis  wcn^  |ia.-<s(^  : 
Hon.  (f.  S.  Ilii.i,,  <f.  J.  'I'lioMPHON,  Fj*!]., 

James  Hhown,  F.>«|.,  (J.  .^^.  I'ortkh,  r,m|., 

NoKMAN  r>i.\i)SAV,  1m(|.,  Nkiikmiah  .Maiiks,  Ks(|. 

Reholved,  That  tlii)*  inuuting  cnnlially  apiirove  of  thi>  contoinplati-J  tlail- 
roaJ  from  Calais,  in  Maine,  anil  St.  StrpheiH,  in  N<^w  Itninswick,  rminil  tlif 
llio  liuail  of  tilt!  Bay  of  Finuly  to  Halifax,  iit  as  iiiucli  as  it  will,  vvlirii  irii't  liy  a 
Railroad  from  I'ortiaiid  to  Calais,  alford  an  uniiiti.'rruptud  railroad  coiiiiiiunicu- 
tion,  at  all  times,  for  transportation  and  travel,  bntweCn  Europe  and  llie  I'niteU 
States  and  Canada. 

2.  Resolved,  .\9  the  opinion  of  the  meeting,  that  n  project  ho  intimately  con- 
nected with  the  prosperity  of  these  Colonies,  demands  and  would  receive  their 
hearty  concurrence  and  Hupport,  ud  also  the  support  of  their  respective  K'j;isl.i- 
tures. 

3.  Resolved,  Aa  tho  opinion  of  thi:4  meeting,  that  the  Railroad,  whilst  it 
advanced  the  material  interests  of  the  lower  Colonics,  w  ild  soon  Lecome  a 
j)rofitable  inveatnient  to  the  proprietors. 

4.  Resolved,  That  this  mseting  will  cordially  unite  with  the  people  of 
Maine,  in  any  feasable  plan  for  securing  the  construction  of  the  said  Railroad 
from  Portland  to  Halifax. 

And  further.  Resolved,  that  this  meeting  do  now  proceed  to  appoint  dele- 
gates to  attend  the  Railroad  Convention  to  be  holden  at  I'ortland,  on  3lst  July, 
instant. 

VVM.  TODD,  Jr.,  ChairiiKin. 
Robert  Watson,  Secretary. 


Proceedings  of  a  meeting  at  Frederickton,  presented  by  Hon. 
Charles  Fisher. 

On  Tuesday  evening,  a  numerous  and  most  respectable  meet- 
ing was  held  in  the  County  Courthouse,  for  the  purpose 
of  appointing  delegates  to  proceed  to  the  great  meeting  to 
be  held  shortly  in  Portland,  Me.,  to  deliberate  on  the  survey  of 
the  Great  Trunk  Line  from  Calais  to  Halifax.  The  Resolutions 
were  most  ably  supported;  and  were,  without  an  exception, 
passed  unanimously. 


38 

Moved  by  Capt.  Chrstnut,  seconded  by  Piofcssor  Robb,  of 
King's  College, 

I.  Kknolvkii,  TliMt  tills  jiipptirig  rordiully  .ipprnvc!)  of  tlic  spirited  flinrts 
wliicli  are  being  nimle  to  ostiiblish  a  railway  roimiiunication  to  coniipct  Halifax, 
liy  the  way  of  this  Froviiioo,  with  the  great  railroad  lines  of  the  I'nited  States. 

Moved  by  Asa  Coy,  Esq.,   seconded  by  H.  Fisher,  Esq 

2nd.  That  the  erection  of  such  a  line  connecting  a  Nova  Scotia  Port,  by  '.lie 
route  to  this  I'rovince,  with  the  railway  facilities  of  tne  United  States,  and  there- 
by making  the  strciin  of  European  and  American  travel  and  tra^'.ic  to  pass 
THROUGH  Instead  of  by  us,  must  be  of  vast  advantage  to  all  tnu  material  in- 
tere.sts  of  New  Brun.<wick. 

Moved  by  W.  J.  Bedell,  Esq.,  seconded  by  J.  S.  Beek,  Esq. 

3rd.  That  we  believe  'lie  interests  of  this  City  atid  Province  at  large,  require 
that  we  should  uii!i!  with  our  fellow  subjects  in  other  portions  of  this  Province 
and  of  Nova  Scotia,  in  asinrtaiiiing  the  practicability  of  cirrying  out  an  under- 
taking pregnant  with  such  important  and  beneficial  o(.nsequences. 

Moved  by  Capt.  Chestnut,  seconded  by  Charles  McPuerson, 
Esq. 

4tli.  Tiiat  in  order  to  this,  we  willingly  undertake  to  co-operate  in  the  pro- 
jmsed  Railroad  Convention,  to  be  held  at  Portland,  Me.,  on  the  31st  of  the  pres- 
ent month. 

Moved  by  R.  Fuhon,  Esq.,  seconded  by  James  Taylor,  Esq. 

5th.  That  Charles  Fisher,  SpatFord  Barker,  F.  W.  Hatheway,  Charles  Mc- 
I'herson,  John  Wilkinson,  John  Simpson,  James  Taylor,  J.  'lobb,  George  Bits- 
ford,  J.  A.  Street,  and  the  Hen.  Attorney  (Jeneral,  do  compose  and  be  a  delega- 
tion from  the  city  of  Frederickton,  to  represent  us  and  our  interests  at  the  said 
Convention. 

Moved  by  Mr.  Troiighton,  and  seconded  by  Mr.  Temple. 

Pth.  That  Capt.  Chestnut  and  Wlliam  Watts,  Jr.,  Esq.,  be  a  Committee  to 
solicit  the  services  of  "iio  said  gentlemen  as  delegates. 

Moved  by  H.  Fisher,  Esq.,  seconded  by  James  Hogg. 

7th.  That  the  AFayor  '  e  requested  to  certify  under  the  City  Seal,  and  with  the 
usual  formalities,  the  appointment  of  the  said  gentlemen  as  such  delegates. 

In  connection  with  some  e.vcellent  explanatory  remarks  made 
by  the  Chairman,  and  afterwards  by  William  Watts,  Jr.  Esq., 
the  audience  was  jubsequontly  addressed  by  John  A.  Street,  S. 
Barker  and  J.  T.  Smith,  Esquires,  aiiJ  several  other  gentlemen, 
who,  although  not  speaking  immediately  to  any  Resolutions,  ap- 
peared to  be  all  actuated  by  the  same  laudable  desire  to  en- 
courage t^^e  object  contemplated  by  the  meeting 

JAMES  HOGG,   Secretary. 


; 


39 

At  a  meeting  of  tlie  Delegates  appointed  to  attend  at  tlic  Port- 
land Railroad  Convention,  lield  at  the  Crown  Land  Ollice,  on 
Thursday,  the  25th  inst.,  it  was  — 

Unanimounly  Rcnolvcl,  That  the  thiiiiks  of  the  Ih-lfgatt-u  In- given  to  W'il- 
huii.  Watts,  Jr.,  F.sq.,  for  his  vaiuablu  scrvici-s  in  proiriotiiig  the  ol)j<'Ct  of  the 
di'h'gatioii. 

.Ind  further  Resolved,  unanimously,  T  at  Mr.  Wiitts  be  roquesteU  to  lavor 
the  delegatioii  with  liis  jjcrvices  on  that  ocaasion. 


Dr.  Bayard  presented  the  following  paper:  — 

At  a  public  meeting,  he'd  at  Mr,  Quirk's  room,  in  Bridge- 
town, in  accordance  with  an  advertisement,  on  Wednesday,  July 
17th,  at  4  o'clock,  P.  M.,  for  the  purpose  of  taking  into  con- 
sideraiion  the  propriety  of  establishing  a  Railroad  through  the 
County  of  Annapolis  to  Halifax, — 

It  was  moved  by  Peter  Bonnett,  Esq.,  that  the  Rev.  James 
Robertson  do  take  the  chair;  which,  being  seconded  by  Dr.  R. 
Ijayard,  passed  unanimously. 

It  being  moved  by  Peter  Bonnet,  Esq  ,  and  seconded  by  Dr. 
Bayard,  that  Mr.  W.  Shipley  do  act  as  Secretary,  massed  ac- 
cordingly. 

The  meeting  being  fully  organized,  the  chairman  rose  and 
requested  Dr.  Bayard  to  give  the  meeting  any  information  he 
might  possess,  upon  the  subject  of  the  proposed  railway,  which 
ho  did,  in  a  very  lucid  address  to  th.e  chairman  on  the  route 
through  the  County  of  Annapolis,  from  Victoria  Beach,  in  Gran- 
ville, to  Halifax,  with  the  best  modes  of  construction,  &.c. 

Dr.  Bayard  then  called  on  Edward  Cowling,  Esq  ,  to  read  the 
Memorial  to  the  Portland  Convention,  adopted  by  the  meeting 
held  at  Annapolis,  on  the  IGth  instant,  and  thereupon  on  the 
motion  of  James  R.  Smith,  Esq.,  seconded  by  Peter  Bonnett, 
Esq., — 

1st.  Resolved,  That  the  Memorial  to  the  Portland  Convention,  adopted  by  the 
meeting  held  at  Annapohs  on  the  ICth  inst.,  be  adopted  by  tliis  meeting;  passed 
unanimously. 

When  it  was  moved  by  James  R.  Smith,  E.  q.,  and  seconded 
by  Mr.  Thomas  Chesley,  a'ld  thereupon, 

2dly.  Resolved,  That  this  meeting  heartily  enters  into  the  feelings  of  thos( 
who  are  favorable  to  a  I'.ne  of  railroad  through  the  vale  of  Annapolis,  the  town- 
ship of  Aylesford,  and  the  Counties  of  Kings  and  Hunts,  to  the  city  of  ILilifux, 


40 

in  tmnection  with  a  line  of  railway  to  Portland  and  Boston;  and  ns  an  earnest 
of  tht!  sincnrity  of  this  I'xpn.'ssion,  every  niemher  of  this  meeting  pledges  himself 
to  ns(!  every  etlbrt  in  his  power,  to  assist  in  carrying  out  ho  dcsirahlu  an  object, 
either  by  money,  lands,  or  labor,  as,  from  time  to  time,  he  may  he  retiuired  to 
ufFord.     Passed  ununimomhj. 

It  was  moved  by  Silas L.  Morse,  Esq.,  and  seconded  by  Rich- 
ard James,  Esq., 

3dly.  Resolved,  That  it  is  the  opinion  of  this  meeting,  that  a  Memorial  be  pre- 
])ared  and  submitted  to  the  F'xecutivt!  Government,  praying  that  a  survey  be 
made  through  the  western  part  of  the  Province,  from  Windsor  to  Victoria  Beach, 
in  Cir:'.nville,  as  a  site  for  a  railway;  and,  that  the  members  representing  the 
(,'ounty  of  Annapolis,  be  invited  to  support  the  same.     Passed  unanimously.' 

It  was  moved  by  James  R  Smiih,  Esq.,  and  seconded  by 
Richard  James,  Esq., 

4th'y.  Resolved,  That  it  is  the  opinion  of  this  meeting,  that  the  services  of  the 
Hon.  J.  VV.  Johnston,  if  they  could  be  obtained,  would  be  of  the  greatest  benefit 
to  the  cause;  but  we  regret  that,  from  the  present  sitting  of  the  Supreme  Court 
in  Halifax,  where  that  gentlemen's  professional  services  require  his  constant  at- 
tention, we  are  prevented  from  obtaining  his  advocacy  of  our  interests  at  the 
Convention  to  be  held  in  Portland,  on  the  Slst  of  July,  instant. 

Resolved,  That  Dr.  11.  Bayard  be  our  Delegate  at  that  Convention.  Passed 
luianimously. 

It  was  moved  by  Walter  Willett,  Esq.,  and  seconded  by  Rich- 
ard James,  Esq. , 

Stilly.  Resolved,  That  the  following  gentlemen,  James  R.  Smith,  Estj.,  Rich- 
ard James,  Esq.,  and  Joseph  Wheelock,  liiq.,  be  a  committee  to  co-operate  with 
the  committee  appointed  at  .\nnapolis  and  the  committee  to  be  appohited  at  Wil- 
mot,  tor  the  purpose  of  attending  to  the  interests,  and  carrying  out  the  views  o' 
the  people  of  Ainiapolis  in  furthering  the  establishment  of  the  proposed  railway. 
Passed  unanimously. 

It  was  moved  by  James  R.  Smith,  Esq.,  and  seconded  by 
Richard  James  Esq., 

dthly.  Resolved,  That  Mr.  Gilbert  Fowler,  Joseph  Wheelock,  Esq.,  and  Mr. 
Edward  Ruggles,  be  a  committee  for  collecting  funds  to  defray  the  expenses  of 
the  delegates  to  the  Convention  at  Portland.     Passed  unanimously. 

It  was  moved  by  Peter  Bennett,  Esq  ,  and  seconded  by  D'ias 
L,  Morse  Esq., 

Tthly.  Resolved,  That  it  be  an  Instruction  to  the  delegates,  to  obtain  the  as- 
.sistance  of  John  Wilson,  E.sq.,  of  St.  Andrews,  in  behalf  of  our  railway.    Passed 

vnanlmotisly. 

It  was  moved  by  James  R.  Smith,  Esq.,  and  seconded   by 
Richard  James,  Esq., 
Sthly.  That  Dr.  R.  Bayard  do  take  the  chair— 


41 

When  the  thanks  ot'tha  meeting  were  given  to  the  Rev.  Jas. 
Robertson  for  lu3  very  able  conduct  in  the  ci.a"*", 

It  was  moved  by  Edward  Cowling,  Esq.,  seconded  by  Silas 
L.  Morse,  Esq., 

9tlily.  Tliat  the  thanks  of  this  meeting  be  given  to  Mr.  William  Shiph'v,  for 
his  services  as  secretary. 

The  Rev.  James  Robertson  returned  thanks  for  the  remarks 
to  himself,  and  observed  that  he  should  at  all  times  endeavor  to 
forward  the  prosperity  of  the  railway. 

N.  B.  Before  the  Chairmou  left  the  chair,  the  thanks  of  the 
meeting  were  given,  unanimously,  to  Dr.  R.  Bayard  for  the  in- 
terest he  took   in  the  cause,  and  for  his  able  advocacy   of  the 

same. 

JAMES  ROBERTSON,  Chairman. 

Bridgetown,  July  17th,  1850. 


Resolutions,  Stc,  of  a  meeting  at  Calais,  presented  by  Hon. 
A.  G.  Chandler. 

RAILROAD  MEETING. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  citizens  of  Calais,  at  the  Office  of  Geo. 
W.  Dyer,  Monday  evening,  July  2'2d,  to  choose  delegates  to  at- 
tend the  Railroad  Convention,  to  be  held  at  Portland,  on  the 
31st  inst.,  Hon.  Anson  G.  Chandler  was  chosen  Chairman,  and 
Edward  S.  Dyer,  Secretary. 

A.  G.  Chandler,  S.  R.  Hanscom  andG.  W.  Dyer,  were  cho- 
sen a  Committee  to  draft  Resolutions,  to  be  presented  ai  un 
adjourned  meeting,  to  be  held  at  He  u's  Hall,  to-morrow 
evening.     Adjourned. 

Juli/  23.  Horton's  Hall.  Meeting  called  to  ordrr  by  the 
Chairman. 

The  Committee  on  Resolutions  reported  the  following   — 

Resolved,  That  this  meeting  regard  the  suggestion  made  from  other  quarters 
of  the  feasibility  and  propriety  of  the  Railroad  from  Bangor  across  Maine,  New 
Brunswick  and  Nova  Scotiii;  to  Halifax,  or  some  point  most  suitable  for  the  ar 
rival  of  European  Steamers,  as  most  important  to  Maine,  and  not  to  Maine  alon« 
but,  in  view  of  its  connection  with  our  European  intercourse,  of  great  interest  to 
the  United  States  generally,  as  well  as  to  said  Provinces. 

Resolved,  That  though  the  pecuniary  considerations  connected  with  it  would, 
alone,  be  adequate,  yet,  our  approbation  of  the  work  results  not  solely  froni 
them,  but  also  from  high  moral  considerations;  believing,  as  we  do,  that  the 


rm 


42 


lli 


more  f»('nfiriil  tin'  iiiti'rroiirr'c  hntwpcii  this  country  ;ind  thosf  Province.-',  an<l  tiic 
interchiiiige  of  views  ami  ojiiiiioiis  vvliich  mich  a  work  would  certainly  facilitate, 
cannot  but  be  prcKJuctive  of  still  greater  cordiality  between  them,  and  between 
us  and  the  country  with  which  they  are  conncctetl. 

Resolreil,  Thiit  we  beli(!ve  it  to  be  the  interest  of  Maine,  iinintMliately  to 
cause  a  thorough  prelitiiinary  survey  of  such  a  route  for  a  Railroad  across  the 
Htale,  and  that  the  citizens  of  Calais  will  give  the  project,  not  only  their  best 
wishes,  but,  at  the  proper  t'nie,  their  best  eftbrts  and  effectual  aid. 

Remlced,  That,  in  view  of  the  facts  that  Calais  is  the  most  direct  line  in 
which  a  Uailroad  can  pass  from  Bangor  to  St.  John;  that  it  is  by  far  the  most  in- 
land point  of  navigalile  waters  in  said  route;  that  some  part  of  it  is  open  to  navi- 
gation from  the  ocean  through  the  whole  year;  that  it  must,  from  necessity,  be 
the  comnitrcia!  point  for  the  imports  and  exports  of  a  large  section  of  country 
well  adaptwl  to  agriculture,  and  exceeded  l)y  none  la  its  facilities,  liy  water 
power,  for  manufacturing  purjjoses,  and  is  fast  increasing  in  population  and 
weahh — the  contemplated  road  should  cross  the  boundary  of  the  State  within  its 
limits  to  St.  Stephens  in  New  Brunswick. 

Resolved,  That  the  attention  now  given,  through  the  country,  to  this  subject, 
is  a  high  tri])ute  to  the  forecast  of  the  projectors  and  proprietors  of  the  Calais  and 
Baring  Railroad,  in  their  locating  it  .vith  a  view  to  the  ultimate  existence  of  the 
great  work  now  under  consideration,  so  that  it  might  then  form  a  portion  thereof; 
and  that  they  are  entitletl  to  all  praise  for  their  energy  in  pressing  it  forward  to- 
wards an  early  completion. 

Resolved,  That  a  Committee  of  eight  persons  be  elected  to  represent  this 
meeting  in  the  great  Convention  to  be  holden  at  Portland,  on  the  31st  inst.,  by 
delegates  from  various  places  in  the  United  States  and  said  Provinces,  for  the 
purpose  of  devising  the  best  means  of  accomplishing  the  object  referred  to. 

Voted,  That  the  Resolutions  be  adopted  by  this  meeting. 

The  following  gentlemen  were  unanimously  elected  Delegates, 

viz:  —  Hon.  A.  G.  Chandler,  Hon.  G.  M.  Chase,  Noah  Smith, 

Jr.,  Edward  i.  Dyer,  William  Fisk,  John  Wright,  S.  R.  Han- 

scom,  and  S.  G.  Tike,  Esquires. 

Voted,  That  the  Connnittee  have  power  to  fill  ny  vacancies  that  may  occur 
in  their  delegation.  ' 

A.  G.  CHANDLER,   Chairman. 
E.  S.  Dyer,   Sec'y. 


Resolutions  of  a  nv  eting  at  Bangor,  presented  by  Alber 
Holton,  Esq.,  one  of  a  Committee  of  sixteen  from  that  city. 

Resolved,  Thai  the  citizens  of  Bangor  look  with  great  favor  upon  the  contem- 
plated line  of  railroad,  connecting  Portland  with  the  Eastern  line  of  the  State, 
and  thence  continuing  through  the  Province  of  New  Brunswick  and  Nova 
Scotia  to  Halifax,  or  some  point  on  the  sea  board,  so  as  to  meet  the  line  of  At- 
lantic steamers  between  Europe  and  this  country.  ^ 


-13 


and  ti'ic 
Ucililalc, 
lietwcen 


Rfxohrfl,  That  iiulcpeiulciit  (if  its  national  iispcrt,  and  itn  licnclicial  t-HVots 
upon  other  States,  we  look  upon  it  ao  tending  to  augment  the  wealth  and  in- 
crease the  business  of  our  city,  by  opening  an  easier  arress  to  our  unocf  upii'<l 
lands,  promoting  their  more  speedy  settlement,  and,  l)y  means  of  branrhe-, 
greatly  to  facilitate  il.:,  tr,;iT;c  l;"tweeii  the  city  and  country  lying  north  and  e:i-t 
of  it,  and  of  paramount  importance  to  the  whole  eastern  part  of  the  State. 

Resolced,  That  we  think  it  the  duty  of  the  Legislature  to  cause  u  reconnois- 
sance  and  survey  for  such  a  road,  from  Bangor  to  the  eastern  line  of  the  State. 
to  such  point  as  will  meet  the  road  running  through  the  Province  of  New  Bruns- 
wick; and  that  the  delegates  chosen  at  thi.s  meeting,  to  nttcnid  the  Railroad  .Meet- 
ing at  Portland,  on  the  31st  inst.,  be  requestetl  to  use  their  influence  to  obtain 
such  aid  from  the  Legislature  now  in  session. 


Statistical  papers  in  reference  to  the  Provinces,  presented  by 
R.  B.  Dickey,  Esq.,  Consular  Agent  of  the  United  States. 

PORT  OF  WALLACE,  (County  of  Cumberland,)  Is'OVA  SCOTLA. 

An  Account  of  vessels  entered  Inwards  and  cleared  Outwards,  and  the  value 
of  Imports  and  Exports  for  the  years  ending  5th  Jan.  1847, 1848, 1849  and  1850, 
the  Coasting  trade  not  being  included  therein. 


Vessels  Inw'd. 

Vessels  Or.tw'd. 

Iiu|iorts. 

Exports. 

No. 

Tom.        No. 

Tons. 

Sterling. 

Sterling. 

Year  ending  5th  Jan.  1847,    78 
Year  ending  5th  Jan.  1848,    38 
Year  ending  5th  Jan.  1849,  41 
Year  ending  5th  Jan.  1850,    34 

15,746 
9,073 
8,103 
7,189 

117 

74 
89 
67 

22,767 
18,462 
16,964 
17,803 

£2,290 
£3,200 
£3,360 

£8,860 

£27,468 
£22,555 
£23,012 
£19,500 

Custom  House,  Wallace,  JVova  Scotia,  20th  July,  1850. 

JOHN    HILL,    CO.VTROLLER. 


Abstract  of  Travel  for  the  three  following  Stations   in  Nova 
Scotia,  viz:  —  from  July  to  December,  six  months. 

ONSLOW. 
Horses, 
]1,S41 
442 
261 
2,012 
836 


Wagons. 

1  horse,  11,341 

2  "  221 

3  «'  87 

4  "  503 
Coaches,                 209 


Passengers. 
In  Wagons,     21,571 
Footmen,  5,109 

Horsemen,       6,070 
In  coaches,  410 


33,140 


12,361       14,892 


i;: " 


44 


AMHFJlrtT. 

1  horse, 

73 

73 

In  wagons, 

8,091 

2      " 

70 

140 

Horsemen, 

1,484 

Chaise, 

1,073 

1,073 

Footmen, 

1,484 

Light  Wagons, 

3,327 

3,327 

Coaches, 

561 

394 

1,576 

1 1  Ron 

4,937        6,099 
TEN  MILE  HOUSE,  (near  Halifax.) 


1  horse, 

4,904 

4,904 

In  wagons. 

2,874 

2      «« 

920 

1,840 

Footmen, 

9,131 

3      " 

255 

765 

In  coaches 

1,458 

4      " 

141 

564 

Horsemen 

1,500 

Light  can 

ages, 

1,573 

1,573 

Coaches, 

247 

988 

13,963 

8,040      10,634 

Total  :  Wagons,  &c.,  25,338— Horses,  31,625— Passengers,  58,723 

2  2  2 


''     one  year,  50,676  63,250  117,446 

Local  traffic  from  Halifax  to  Amherst,  at  the  borders  of  New 
Brunswick,  say  — 

(Population  of  Halifax,  Colchester,   Plctou,   Cumberland   Coun- 
ties, in  all,  100,000  inhabitants) 

100,000  inhabitants,  one  trip  each  year,  one  way  at  3 

cents  per  mile,  or  ^3  75  for  124  miles,        .        .        $575,000 
50,000  tons  of  freight,  at  ^3  75  per  ton,      .        .        .      187,000 


$562,000 
Off  50  per  cent  for  expenses  and  contingencies,    .        .      281,000 


6281,000 

Interest  on  cost  of  124  miles  track  at  $30,000  per  mile, 

or,  $3,720,000  at  6  per  cent.,         ....         222,200 


Surplus, 


.     $58,800 


Hi! 


Statement  of  probable  annual  value  of  Exports  from  the 
County  of  Cumberland,  Nova  Scotia,  compiled  from  the  most 
available  sources  of  information,  there  being  no  official  record 


45 


of  Exports  from  tho  port  of  Cumberland,  and  hence  of  any  bul 
foreign  Exports  from  Wallace,  riz:  — 

Grindstones,  X16,000 

Coals,  1,000 

Fat  Cattle  and  Horses,  15,000 

Pork  and  Sheep,  5,000 

Butter  and  Cheese,  5,000 

Fish,  (shad,  salmon,  herring,  &c.,)  2,000 
Lumber,  Timber,  &c.,  (in  addition  to  exports  fwm 

Parsborough,  Sic,,)  10,000 

Off  one-fourth,  say 


Wallace  —  Per  statement  herewith, 

Add  for  Vessels  exported  for  sale, 


£64,000 
14,000 

£40,000 
20,000 
20,000 


£80,000 


Or,  say  0400,000. 
Vessels  built  and  launched  at  Pugwash,  in  the  years  1849 


and  1850. 

1849 

number  of  Vessels, 

7 

1,996  t 

ons 

1850 

C(                                 (( 

4 

1,634 

cc 

On  the  stocks, 

6 

1,980 

C( 

3,614 

(( 

The  same  p.i 

Wallace. 

1850 

4  vessels. 

1,000 

<( 

Total,  4,614     «' 

Besidf^s  vessels  building  at  Vansborough,  &c.,  &c. 
Statement  of  cargoes  of  Wood  shipped  from  the  Port  of  Cum- 
berland, Nova  Scotia,  to  the  United  States,  from  January  6th, 
to  July  5th,  1850,  viz:  — 

Hackmetac  Knees.    Hackmetac  Timber.        Spruce  Lumber 
1854  127  tons  52,765  feet. 

In  addition  to  Coals,  Grindstones,  Plaster  of  Paris,  Potatoes, 
&c.,  for  which  consular  certificates  are  not  usually  required  by 
Shippers. 


46 


(Jffice  of  U.  S.  Consular  Agency,         ? 
Port  of  Cumberland,  N.  S.,  July,  1850.  $ 

R.  B.  DICKEY, 

U.  S.  Consular  Agent, 

Cumberland,  N.  S. 

From  Custom  House  Returns,  for  the  year  ending  January  5, 

1850,  made  for  Blue-Book 

Port  of  Pictou. 

MANUFACTURES,    MINES,    &C. 

Ships  built,  102  — tons,  14,389. 

Coal  exported,  64,C46  chaldrons  ;  value,  £35,168  stlg. 


Building  Sloiie,  858  pieces, 
Grindstones,        168      "  " 

Albion  Mines— East  River,  Pictou— 
McKenzie  quarry,  near  Pictou, 

Ross  quarry,  ? 

Merigonick  quarry,  $ 

MANUFACTURES,    &C. 


2,541 
230 
Coal 
Grindstones 

Building  Stone. 


J.  Primrose, 

A.  P.  Ross, 

M.  Archibald, 

G.  .^  W.  Wade, 

D.  Hocker, 

Clarence  Mill,  for  grain. 

Dickson's  Mills,      " 


Tobacco  Manufactory 

Soap  and  Candle     " 

Tannery, 

Brewery  and  Distillery 

Brewery. 

J.  Primrose 

Dickson. 


W.  Lippincourt,  Tannery,— New  Glascow. 

The  above  in  the  Township  of  Pictou. 

Port  of  Pictou — year  ending  January  5,  1850 

VESSELS    INWARD. 

From  Great  Britain,  12  vessels. 


British  Colonies,  230 
United  States,  337 
Foreign  States,  4 


(1 
t< 
(I 


3,794  tons. 
13,592    " 
40,999     " 
729     '' 


Total, 


583 


59,114 


Po 
P. 


Imports,*  sterling  value  £11,746  1  G.  Principally  flour,  corn,  tobac- 
co, &c.,  from  United  States. 


Independent  of  coasting  trade,  land  carriage,  &c. 


M 


iii' 


1 


47 

VF,SSEr-S    Ot'TWARD. 

To  Great  Brituin,  15  vessels, 

British  Colonies,  209        '« 

United  States,  511        " 

Fortign  States,  1        " 


I,5S1 

ton? 

10,854 

It 

00,075 

ii 

'JtJ 

i( 

75,539 


Total,  7C5 

Exports,*  Sterling-  value,  £5-1,261— principally  Cotil 
Population  of  Pictou,  33,000,  ten  years  ago. 
Port  of  Cumberland— Year  ending-  January  5,  1850 

VESSELS    INWARD. 

From  Great  Britain,  2  vessels, 

British  Colonies,         25 
United  States,  56 


43-2  tons. 
1,810    " 
40,54    '« 


Total,  83 

Imports,  sterling  value,  £12,467. 

VESSELS    OUTWARD. 

To  Great  Britain,  5  vessels, 

British  Colonies,     33        » 
United  States,        35        •« 


6,296     " 


1,083  tons. 
1.578     " 


2,186 


4,847 


Total,        73 
Exports,  sterling  value,  £8,155. 
Port  of  Parsboro' — Year  ending  January  5,  1850. 

VESSELS    INWARD. 

From  Great  Britain,  1  vessel,  94  tons. 

British  Colonies      30      "  1,151     " 

United  States,        153      «'  10,301     «' 


Total,  184      ««  11,546    " 

Imports,  sterling  value,  £11,746— principally  flour,  corn, 
tobacco.  Sic,  from  the  U.  States. 


VSSSELS    OUTWARD. 

To  Great  Britain,  15  vessels, 

British  Colonies,      27        " 
United  States,        119        " 


2,323  tons. 

933     " 
7,767     " 


Total, 


161 


11,022     " 


*  Independent  of  coasting  trade,  land  carriage,  &c. 

Mem.    County  of  Sidney  adjoins  Pictou,  and  is  a  great  agricultural  and  grazing  country 


1"^ 


i 


I!;,  t 


48 

Kxport,  st(  rling  vnlue,  JCG,P89  12  8— pypnuin,  minornis, 
n|,'ricultural  produce,  &i-.,  &.c. 

GRAND    TOTAF.    FOR    PICTOU    ANO     C  UMBEBl.ANI). 

Vessels,  inward  and  outward,  1,1)50  vessels. 

Tonnage,  192,706  tons. 

Value  of  Imports  and  Exports,     £ltJG,7.')3  14  2  stig. 

Or  say,  ^800,000. 

In  the  foregoing  returns,  the  coasting  vcascls  and  trade  arc 
not  included;  so  the  controller  of  Halifax  states. 

Returns   of  Menufactures,   Mines,  Sic,   of  Cumberland,  for 

the  year  ending  5th  January,  18r»0, 

103  Saw  Mills/") 

(Water  power  to  the  northward  of  River 
Philip  and  Maccan. 


16  Flour  " 
6  Oat  «« 
4  Card'g  '« 

1  Ship  built,    332  tons. 


1  Colliery  at  the  Joggins,  >      ,,     ,       ,       r.nnr\r,    .i 
1         '«         at   Spring  flili;  \      ^°'^''  ^°'"«  ^^.OOO  stlg. 

6  quarries   Grindstone  ?  r<  •    i  .  i       j^^^^nn   .i 

^  on  JogPins  there     \  Grindstones,  vuluo  £46,000  stig. 

Gypsum — various  localities,  value,     £350  per  an. 
Limestone,    «'  ''  "  550        " 


Salt,  very  valuable  ;  only  partially  ?    .^^ 
worked,  5    ^"" 

Shad,   Codfish,  Herrings,  about 
1,000  Bbls., 


1,200 


GENERAL  REMARKS. 

As  these  fish  are  taken  principally  for  home  consumption,  of 

which  there  is  no  return  made,  the  probable  amount  and  value 

only  can  be  given.     The  Bay  of  Fundy  abounds  in  fish  of  all 

dessriptions. 

Custom  House,  > 

Cumberland,  22d  Feb.,  1850$ 

(Signed,)  M.  GORDON, 

Controller. 

Besides  mills,  quarries,  shipping,  Stc,  south  of  River  Philip, 
and  within  limits  of  Ports  Wallace  and  Vansborough. 


Document  from  the  Secretary  of  the  Province  of  New  Bruns- 
wick, in  regard  to  a  survey  from  St.  John  to  the  American 
frontier  presented  by  Wm.  H.  Perley,  Esq.' 

*  Adding  Saw  Milln  on  Eouth  side  of  River  Pblliii  and  Maccan,  tUere  would  be  at  Ie4«t  2U0 
8aw  Mills  in  the  whole  County. 


49 

'  ."f.ciirT  vfi  v'«  ()i  VICE,  ) 

FrtHlt-rirkton,  lltih  July,  is.V).      \ 

Sir: — I  ihis  diiy  liiiilbtforc  Hi*  Kxrfllpnry  the  I,i<'iit.  (iovernnr.  lli*-  "IVti- 
lidii  of  the  Inhiihitanis  of  Ihf  City  of  Snint  John  imil  otlii-M,"  praying  for  thf  rra- 
Hanst  theruiii  sU\Uh\  tiiat  a  coinpftcrit  IliiginoiT  iii;>y  In-  appointc<l  to  inakt-  a  pro- 
liininary  siirvoy  of  Iho  most  flij^iliU-  route  for  a  Railway  lictwicn  St.  John  and 
the  American  frontier,  at  the  expen-c  of  the  (loverntnent,  and  I  am  direrted  to 
inform  you  that  His  Kxcellenry  has  lieen  ph'ase<l  to  romjily  willi  the  same. 

I  have  tile  honor  to  he,  Sir, 

Vour  nuwl  oht.  «er\anf, 

J.  It.  I'\RTF,I,0\V. 
R.  Jardine,  Esq.  Snint  John. 

On  motion  of  John  Ncal,  Esq.,  these  papers  and  all  of  like 
character,  were  referred  to  the  Comtrittee  on  Business. 


John  A.  Poor,  Esq.,  on  being  called  upon,  read  letters  ex- 
pressive of  interest  in  the  success  of  the  undcrtakinir,  amonf 
others  the  following: 

From  the  PRESIDENT  of  the  United  States— 

Washington-,  July  27,  1830. 
Sir: — I  have  the  honor  to  acknowledge  the  receipt  of  the  circular  of  the  com- 
mittee for  the  proposed  Rail  Road  Convention  to  be  held  at  Portland,  on  the 
thirty-first  instant,  for  the  purpose  of  taking  into  consideration  the  various  schemes 
which  have  been  proposed  for  the  construction  of  a  line  of  Railway  thron-'h  the 
State  of  Maine  to  the  Lower  British  Provinces;,  and  to  some  good  harbor  on  tiie 
Eastern  coast  of  Nova  Scotia,  together  with  your  kind  invitation,  in  behalf  of  the 
Committee,  requesting  my  attendance  at  said  Convention.  I  extremely  regret 
that  my  official  duties  hrre  will  deprive  me  of  the  pleasure  of  being  present  on 
that  interesting  occasion.  But,  feeling  as  I  do  a  deep  interest  in  all  subjects  of 
internal  improvement  which  are  calculated  to  devclope  the  resources  and  ad- 
vance the  great  interests  of  our  country,  I  trust  that  your  proposed  Convention 
may  be  productive  of  the  most  happy  results,  and  that  through  it,  another  link 
may  be  added  to  that  chain  which  is  binding  more  closely  the  great  commercial 
interests  of  this  continent  to  those  of  Europe. 

With  my  thanks  for  your  flattering  invitation,  I  am. 

Very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servent, 

MILLARD  FILLMORE. 
John  A.  Poor,  Esq., 


From  Hon.  Edward  Everett,  late  Minister  Plenipotentiary 
from  the  United  States  to  Great  Britain: 

Cambridge,  23d  July,  1856. 
Dear  Sir:— Your  favors  of  yesterday  reached  me  this  forenoon,  with  the 


50 

printed  circular,  nnd  a  copy  of  the  pamphlet  on  "ihnrtening  the  time  of  pAMago 
between  New  York  and  London."  I  have  not  had  it  in  my  power  to  l(M>k  into 
the  pamphlet,  bat  I  have  read  the  circular  with  great  intereat.  The  prujecta 
ihereio  referred  to,  uf  a  railway  comnmnication  between  the  Uppef  and  Lower 
British  I'rovinceii  and  the  Ocean,  tlirough  the  Stale  of  Maue,  and  Mweeo  the 
Atlantic  cities  of  the  United  Btatea  and  Halifax,  are  worthy  of  the  public  apirit 
and  enterprise  of  the  age.  Both  will  be,  when  carried  into  effect,  of  very  great 
utility  to  the  American  continent; — tho  last  named  will  afford  the  most  important 
facilities  to  tho  commercial  and  social  intercourse  of  the  United  States  of  America 
and  Europe.  With  such  further  improvements  in  steam  navigation  as  we  may 
reasonably  anticipate,  the  continuation  of  a  railway  through  Maine  to  Halifax 
would  probably  reduce  the  passage  from  Boston  to  Liverpool  to  nine  days,  of 
which  two  days  would  be  passed  on  the  land. 

I  have  long  looked  forward  to  the  commencement  of  this  great  enterprise,  and 
I  rejoice  to  see  the  movement  making.  I  hope, — I  l)elieve, — it  will  be  equally 
advantageous  to  the  Provinces  and  the  States. 

It  would  afford  me  much  pleasure  to  attend  your  Convention;  bat  I  am  pr^ 
vented  by  engagements  here  from  leaving  home. 
Wishing  you  full  success,  I  remain, 

Dear  sir,  very  truly  yours, 

EDWARD  EVERETT. 

John  A.  Poor,  Esq. 


From  Hon;  Levi  Woodburt,  one  of  the  Justices  of  the  Su- 
preme Court  of  the  United  States: 

Portsmouth,  N.  H.,  July  2S,  1850. 

Dear  Sir: — I  have  received  the  polite  invitation  you,  m  behalf  of  the  Com- 
mittee, extended  to  me  to  attend  the  Rail  Road  Convention  to  be  held  the  Slat 
inst.,  at  Portland.  It  would  afford  me  smcere  pleasure  to  be  present;  but  my 
official  engagements  are  such  as  are  likely  to  prevent  it.  The  plan,  suggested  in 
the  circular,  is  one  of  magnitude  and  of  much  bterest  to  this  section  of  the  conn- 
try  and  will,  I  trust,  receive  all  the  support,  which  the  facts  connected  with  it ' 
may  seem  to  wanant. 

My  best  wishes  attend  it.  Respectfully, 

LEVI  WOODBURY. 

J.  A.  Poor,  Esq.,  one  of  the  Committee. 


From  Hon.  Hannibal  Hamblin,  United  States  Senator  from 
Maine: 

SiNATX  Chamber,     ) 
Washington,  July  28, 1850.  ) 

Dear  Sir: — Your  letter  of  the  16th  inst.,  b  behalf  of  a  Committee  of  the 

gitizens  of  Portland,  inviting  me  to  attend  a  Railway  Convention  at  that  place  on 

the  8l8t,  did  not  reach  me  until  yesterday. 


61 

Th«  object  »r  yoar  nMetiof  ia  for  the  parpoM  of  awakening  and  concentruiinf 
Chc  public  Diiiid  upon  th«  iniportuncu  of  i-xtendiiig  u  Railway  thruugh  lh«  !*lutp 
of  Maine  to  th«  inoitt  eaaterly  point  of  the  Britiah  I'r«%'ince«,  and  thuii  bringing 
UA  in  cloaer  proximity  to  England  and  F^uropt*.  I  ronrur  inotit  cordially  in  the 
objccta  of  the  work  in  which  yoa  are  engngtid.  It«  importance  in  a  aocial  and 
commercial  point  of  view,  it  leema  to  nie  iihould  commend  it  to  the  judgment  of 
all  who  will  examine  and  reflect. 

It  would  give  me  great  pleaaure  to  he  with  vou  and  participate  in  your  delib- 
erationH.     I  regret  to  nay  that  my  public  duties  are  so  important,  at  ihui  time, 
that  I  fear  they  will  not  justify  my  abucnce  from  the  Senate.     Were  it  otherwine 
I  ahould  moat  cheerfully  avail  myaelf  of  your  invita'ion. 
Reapectfully  your  Fellow  Citizen, 

H.  H.\MLIN. 

JoHir  A.  Poor,  Esq. 


From  Hon.  J.  W.  Bradbury,  United  States  Senator  from 

Maine: 

Washington,  July  26,  1850. 
Dear  Sir: — I  have  had  the  honor  to  receive  your  invitation  in  behalf  of  the 
Committee  of  Arrangements,  kindly  asking  my  attendance  upon  the  Railway 
Convention  to  be  held  in  Portland  on  the  Slst  inst. 

I  beg  yoH  to  assore  th«  Committee,  that,  if  my  public  duties  did  not  require 
my  presence  here,  it  would  afford  me  unqualified  pleasure  to  be  present  on  so 
interesting  occasion  as  one  that  has  in  view  the  advancement,  in  a  legitimate 
mode,  of  any  of  those  great  improvements,  which,  next  to  fraternal  feeling,  must 
be  depended  upon  to  bind  together  the  Union. 

I  have  the  honor  to  be,  very  respectfully,  your  ob't  serv't, 

J.     /.  BRADBURY. 
J.  A.  Poor,  Esq.,  Chairman,  &c. 


From  Hon.  N.  S.  Littlefield,  Representative  in  Congress 

from  Maine: 

House  or  Representatives,     ) 
Washington,  July  22,  1850.  > 

Gentlemeru — Yonr  polite  invitation  to  me  to  attend  the  Railway  Convention  to 
be  held  at  Pbrtland.  m  the  Slst  inst.,  came  to  hand  by  the  mail  of  to^lay. 

It  would  afford  me  great  pleasure  at  this  time  to  change  my  location  from  the 
metropolis  of  the  nation  to  the  beautiful  and  healthy  city  of  Portland;  and  I 
should  be  very  happy  to  leave  the  hails  of  Congress  to  participate  m  the  pro- 
ceedings of  your  Convention.  I  regret  exceedingly  that  the  importance  of  the 
measures  now  pending  before  Congress,  and  the  press  of  business  mcident  to  the 
approaching  close  of  the  already  protracted  session,  prevent  my  acceptance  of 
your  kind  invitation.  I  caimot  reconcile  the  leavmg  of  my  post  here  at  the  pres- 
ent time  with  my  views  of  duty  and  propriety,  and  therefore  it  only  remains  for 


m 


52 

me  to  assuri' '.  ou  that  you  ]'-i\k  iny  liorirty  wishes  for  the  sncrpss  of  tlie  important 
find  laudiilil''  umli'rt:iking  yon  havp  in  hand,  and  my  thanks  for  your  poiitenefg  to 
me.  Wiih  tniinii  rrspect  and  cstocni,  I  am  yon:  oh't  scrv't, 

NATII'L  S.  LrrrLEFIEFJ). 
J(.HN  A.  I'oon,  r^q.,  and  others  Committee. 


From  lion.  Elbridge  Geruy,   Representative  in  Congress 

fran^  M   ine. 

W.vsHiNGTON,  July  23,  1850. 

bear  Sir: — 1  nave  the  honor  to  acknowledge  the  receipt  of  your  note  of  the 
15lh  inst.,  inviting  me  ii)  be  present  at  the  proposed  "Railway  Convention"  to 
he  holdeu  at  Portland,  on  the  31st  of  the  present  month — and  also  the  "circular 
issued  \>y  the  committee  who  have  in  charge  the  arrangements  for  the  conven- 
tion," together  with  a  pamphlet  and  map  "setting  forth  the  general  features  of 
the  plan,"  for  all  which  favors  1  am  greatl_,  obliged.  It  would  ailbrd  me  a  great 
deal  of  pleasure  to  be  present  on  an  occasion  so  full  of  interest  as  the  one  referred 
to,  could  I  do  so  consistently  with  my  duties,  and  the  obligations  I  am  under  to 
those  who  sent  me  hero. 

The  vastncss  of  the  scheme,  the  magnificence  of  the  enterprise,  and  the  world- 
wide benefits  that  will  flow  from  its  success,  command  our  highest  commeridation, 
and  :ire  worthy  of  the  distinguished  gentlemen  who  have  lent  their  names  and 
their  inf...  'nee  to  call  public  attention  to  a  subject  so  full  of  hope.  All  who  speak 
the  English  tongue,  can  but  rejoice  in  the  conception  and  accomplishment  of 
measures  to  hasten  the  common  destiny  of  our  race — the  full  enjoyment  of  civil 
and  religious  liberty.  The  approximation  of  two  great  people,  who  look  from  an 
eminence  down  the  face  of  the  whole  known  world,  and  who  speak  a  common 
language,  and  who  have  a  conmion  interest,  will  contribute,  in  my  judgment,  in 
an  eminent  degree,  to  the  furtherance  of  an  end  so  desirable. 

Wishin-^  le  enterprise  abundant  .success,  and  you,  personally,  all  reasonable 
prosperity,  1  am  your  most  obedient  and  humble  servant, 

ELBRIDGE  GERRY. 

John  A.  Peon,  Esq.,  Chairman  Com.  Arrangements. 


From  Hon  C.  Stetson,  Representative  in  Congress  from  Maine: 

Washington,  July  23d,  1850. 

Gentlemen: — In  common  with  all  who  have  at  heart  the  advancement  of  the 
roinmorcial  interests  of  the  Country,  I  most  heartily  concur  with  the  Committee, 
in  their  general  views  and  reasoning,  on  the  importance  of  a  Railroad  through 
the  State  of  Maine  to  the  Eastern  coast  of  Nova  Scotia. 

Thi'  subject  is  deserving  of  an  early  and  full  investigation,  to  enable  the  public 
to  judge  of  the  practicability  and  expediency  of  the  great  undertaking,  when  re- 
lieved from  the  embarrassment,  in  which  a  too  liberal  investment  of  the  active 
capital  of  the  country,  in  similar  enterprises,  has  involved  us. 


o.> 


.My  otHriul  liuiit;^  will  ili;i>rivi^  me  ,1'  thf  iilcaiiirc,  wliirh  ihf  nuctiii^'.  (m  ili,> 
Slst  iiisl.,  with  our  t'l-llow  citizcni,  on  .<o  iatcn'siiiig  an  orrasioii,  woiiKl  have 
With  great  rf.'ii)ect,  I  remain  jour  o!)'t  serv't. 

CI[AlU,f:s  STI.TSON. 


'Mvi.'ii  nie. 


From  Hon.  J.  P.  Pikemx,   Representative  in   Congress  from 
the  city  of  New  York. 

House  of  J!  ei>iiksf:nt.\tiv  ks.  ) 
.Inly  27,  \<>0.  '  ) 
Dear  Sir: — I  liave  the  pleasure  to  acknowledge  your  invitation  to  attend  a 
Railway  Convention  on  the  Slnt  of  July,  at  Portland.  T.nt  it  is  a  rase  of  niiieji 
regret  to  me,  that  I  shall  he  deharred  the  pleasure  of  doing  so,  in  eoiisriiuenee  of 
the  ahsolnte  necessity  for  nienihers  to  be  in  their  seats,  during  tlie  present  ex- 
citing period 

The  ohject  of  the  Convention  meets  with  my  most  hearty  concurrence.  M'Ik* 
day  la  not  distant  when  these  improvements  will  go  forward,  until  our  wliole 
country  shall  be  encircled  and  entwined  together,  by  this  Iron  Cordon,  and  when 
the  extremities  shall  hav3  bee::  brought  together  by  its  wondrous  power — we 
shall  hear  fewer  of  the  wretched  calcuk.tioiis  of  the  "value  of  the  Union." 

]  beg  you  to  tender  to  the  Conunittee  my  thanks  for  the  honor  conferred  upon 
me  by  this  iuvitution. 

Respectfully  Yours, 

J.  PHILLIPS  PH(E.\IX. 
John  A.  Poor,  Esq. 


From  Lieut.  M.vury,  Chief  Astronomer  of  the  National  Obser- 
vatory of  the  United  States. 

National  OBsuRv.uoRy,  ) 

Washington,  July  24,  1850.  5 

Sir:  —  1  have  received  the  circular  by  the  liailroad  Committee,  togetlier 
with  your  note  of  the  18th  inst.,  inviting  me  to  attend  and  address  in  such 
manner  as  may  be  most  agreeable  to  myself,  the  [laihvay  Convcniion  pro- 
posed to  be  held  in  the  City  of  Portland,  on  the  3l8t.  inst., 

I  should  be  most  happy,  1  beg  you  w  ill  assure  the  Co:ninitteo  who  have 
extended  to  me  this  mark  of  their  friendly  consideration,  to  lend,   did   cir 
cumstances  permit,  my  voice,  however  fseble,  to  so  good  a  cause   o^  that 
which  they  have  in  hand. 

It  is  proposed  to  extend  the  Railway  from  Portland  to  the  Lower  British 
Provinces,  and  through  them  to  a  point  somewhere  on  the  eastern  coast  of 
Nova  Scotia.  A  line  of  ste-mers  thence  to  Galway,  or  some  other  port  on 
the  western  coast  of  Ireland,  from  which  there  is,  or  soon  will  be,  Railway 
communication  with  Dublin,  would  narrow  tl  j  Atlantic  down  almost  to  a 
ferry,  the  navigable  distance  fro\n  land  to  Ian  1,  by  this  route,  being  but  a 
little  over  2000  nautical  miles. 


tmm 


54 


1^. 


You  describe  this  Road  as  pecaliar  in  its  bearings  for  food  upon  that  di»> 
trict  of  oountry  east  of  the  Hudson  rrd  Lake  Cbaraplain,  betvreen  the 
Gulf  and  Rirer  St.  Lawrence  on  the  north,  and  the  Atlantic  on  the  south. 

It  will  connect  with  Railroads  from  Montreal,  Quebec  and  Boston  ;  and 
in  view  of  the  consequence  which  these  connections  will  give  it,  you  elo- 
quently desoribe  it  a  "grand  trunk  line  of  Railway  from  th?  State  of 
Maine  to  the  lower  British  Provinces."  It  is  only  one  of  the  topmos* 
branches;  the  main  trunk  extends  from  the  west  to  the  east,  from  the 
north  to  the  south,  and  has  its  tap-root  planted  in  the  heart  of  the  Missis- 
sippi valley. 

There  is  already  in  contemplation,  in  process  of  construction,  or  actually 
completed,  together,  a  grand  trunk  line  of  Railroads  all  the  way  from 
Portland,  in  Maine,  to  Memphis,  in  Tennessee,  end  other  points  on  the 
Mississippi  river.  To  complete  such  a  trunk,  you  cannot  go  amiss  for 
friends  and  advocates,  for  its  branches  are  everywhere. 

Whether  you  ;^o  among  the  mountains  of  New  England,  or  the  lakes  of 
Canada, — in  the  plains  of  the  south,  or  the  forests  of  the  west, — wherever 
you  sound  the  car  whistle  for  this  line  of  road,  you  will  see  the  friends  of 
the  measure,  like  Roderick  D!<u'b  men,  starting  up  from  every  bush  and 
bank,  in  ready  response  to  the  call. 

At  the  speed  of  Collins'  steamers— and  we  do  not  mean  to  rest  satisfied 
with  that — the  passage  across  the  Atlantic  can  be  performed,  when  thb  line 
of  your  trunk  road  is  pushed  over  into  Nova  Scotia,  in  a  wrek. 

The  advantages  of  a  road  which  is  to  shorten  one-third  the  tailing  dis* 
tance  between  London  and  New  Tork,  Boston  and  Paris,  are  too  many,  too 
obvious,  and  too  great  for  enumeration  or  description.  They  strike  every 
one.  The  picture  has  already  been  well  drawn  ;  and  1  should  only  mar  it 
in  any  attempt  to  present  it  in  any  other  colors  than  those  with  which  it 
first  strikes  the  eye. 

There  is,  however,  one  point  of  view  which  I  wish  you  would  take  of 
this  Railroad  :  for  it  is  from  that  point,  that  1  wish  to  present  some  of  its 
merits  to  public  favor. 

You  know  that  the  system  of  fortifications,  formerly  adopted  for  the  de- 
fence of  the  coast,  as  expensive  and  as  necessary  as  it  was,  has  been  ren- 
dered almost  unnecessary  by  the  system  of  Rniiroads  that  has  been  intro- 
duced by  the  private  enterprise  and  energy  of  public  spirited  individuals 
like  yourselves.  We  have  seen  the  general  government  expending  mil- 
lions of  dollars  for  the  erection  of  a  single  fortification,  and  which,  when 
completed,  was  of  no  earthly  value  in  tiTies  ef  peace  to  the  citizens  or  oc- 
cupations of  the  country.  There  it  stood— a  mere  pile  of  brick  and  mor- 
tar—drawing heavily  upon  the  public  treasury  for  repairs  every  year,  and 
dragging  out  a  burthensome  existence  in  peace,  that  perchance  it  might  be 
useful  in  war. 

Now,  with  the  power  which  this  Railroad  would  give  you  to  draw  an 


65 

army,  if  need  be,  from  the  great  ralley  of  the  we>t,aDd  in  two  daja,  inarch 
it  all  the  waj  by  ateam  from  Memphis  on  the  Miiiiasippi,  to  the  frontiera 
of  Maine,  or  even  into  foreign  territor>  — with  luch  a  power,  what  do  the 
people  of  Maine  want  with  any  forta  and  caatlea,  except  auch  aa  may  be 
aeceaaary  to  protect  her  aea  port  lowna  from  the  great  guna  of  big  ahipa  ? 

You  know,  too,— for  yon  hare  only  to  ?i»it  the  Nary  Yard  in  your  State 
to  aee  evidence  of  the  fact— that  the  plan  was  to  collect  in  our  Navy  Yards, 
and  at  great  expense,  large  quantitiea  of  ahip  timber,  and  store  it  away  for 
the  emergencies  of  war.  The  emer(;encies  never  came,  the  timber  rotted, 
and  the  money  was  lost. 

Now  in  time  of  war,  almost  any  timber  that  stands  in  the  fo'ests  is  good 
enough  to  build  men  of  war.  Even  if  built  of  green  timber,  they  would 
probably  last  through  the  war,  when  the  vast  majority  of  them,  of  whatever 
kind  of  timber  they  might  be  built,  would  be  of  no  further  uae  at  any  rate. 
Therefore,  with  Railroads,  what  do  we  want  of  any  more  stores  of  ship 
timber  for  aby  such  purposes  ?  As  for  the  Navy,  Railroads  have  converted 
almost  every  forest  from  "Maine  to  Georgia"  into  a  timber  shed  for  it. 

Seeing,  therefore,  the  important  part  which  Railroads  are  performing  and 
will  perform  in  the  system  of  national  defenses — seeing  that  one  of  the 
principal  objeeu^which  moved  our  fathers  to  form  this  Union,  was  *'the 
better  to  provide  for  the  common  defenre ;  "  and,  seeing  that  the  publie 
lands  are  a  common^fund  which  is  being  squandered,  I  am  of  opinion  that 
a  more  righteous,  wise  and  beneficient  dispensation  could  not  be  made  of 
portions  of  these  lands,  than  to  apply  them  to  aid  in  the  construction  of 
Railroads  and  other  works  which  provide  so  effectually  as  Railways  do,  for 
tne  oommoti  defeiue. 

It  would,  in  my  judgment,  be  wise  in  Congress  to  give  to'  your  contem- 
plated Railway,  and  all  like  it,  a  grant  of  p'.ib'ic  lands  on  some  such  condi- 
tions as  these :  The  lands  to  be  selected  by  the  Company  and  charged  to 
it  at  one-hMf  the  government  price,  without  interest  during  the  construc- 
tion of  the  Road.  But  the  Company  should  be  obligated  for  and  in  consid- 
eration of  such  grant,  to  transport,  free  of  charge,  all  troops  and  munitions 
of  war  that  the  government,  in  time  of  war,  should  desire  to  send  over  it ; 
and  to  let  the  interest,  annually  accruing  on  the  amount  with  which  the 
Company  is  charged  on  account  of  the  lands,  go  in  part  payment  "or  ser- 
vices rendered  in  carrying  the  mail  in  times  of  peace.  Thus,  you  observe, 
that  the  public  lands  might,  by  these  means,  be  converted  through  Rail- 
roads into  a  beautiful  system  of  national  defenses  in  war,  and  also  made  in 
times  of  peace,  to  serve  as  a  source  of  revenue  for  ever,  by  assisting  to  pay 
the  post  office  expenses. 

Desiring  the  success  of  your  noble  enterprise, 


1  have  the  honor  to  be,  tacc. 


M.  F 


JoHM  A.  Poor,  £s(i.,  Portland,  Me. 


.  MAURY 

LvexiX 


S.N. 


56 


11     ,  .■ 


a,-! 


U' 


lit 


Hon.  a.  T.  Galt,  President  of  the  St.  L.  &  At.  K.  R.  Co. 

St.  Lawrf.kce  &  At.  R.  R.  Office, 
Montreal,  July  29,  18.50. 

Dkah  Sin: —  I  am  requested  by  the  Directura  of  the  St.  Lawrence  and 
Atlantic  Railroad  Compan)',  to  expreis  through  you  to  the  Committee  hav- 
ing in  charge  the  arrangements  for  the  Convention  to  bo  hold  in  your  city, 
on  the  31st  inst.,  their  deep  regret  that  this  Company  will  be  unrepresented 
on  this  important  and  interesting  occasion,  it  has  not  been  found  possible 
for  the  gentlemen  to  proceed  to  Portland  whom  we  desired  to  send,  and 
we  arc  therefore,  for  the  present,  confinnd  to  the  expression  by  letter,  of  the 
sympathy  and  interest  we  feel  in  the  great  undertaking  of  a  Grand  Railroad 
communication  to  the  Lower  British  Provinces  from  the  point  of  intersec- 
tion in  Maine  of  the  New  York  and  Montreal  Lines. 

We  believe  that  the  general  outline  of  the  plan  proposed  in  your  petition 
to  the  Legislature  of  Maine,  meets  the  univerisal  approval  of  our  citizens 
here,  and  if  not  already  recognized  in  Quebec  as  the  most  feasible  mode  of 
connecting  Canada  with  the  lower  Provinces,  we  doubt  not  that  a  corsid- 
ctation  of  the  comparative  ease  of  its  construction  will  speedily  enlist  the 
heaity  support  of  that  community  in  its  favor. 

Tho  Province  of  Canada  having  passed  a  general  law,  guaranteeing  the 
interest  upon  one  half  the  cost  of  all  Railways  within  the  Province  exceed- 
ing 75  miles  in  length — it  is  within  your  knowledge  that  we  have  been 
enabled  to  ensure  the  completion  of  the  Railway  from  Montreal  to  Port- 
land. From  Melbourne  to  Quebec,  under  the  operation  of  this  law,  we 
now  regard  the  construction  of  a  Branch  Line  as  secure— and  we  therefore 
conceive  ourselves  warranted  in  expressing  to  your  Committee  our  convic- 
tion that  so  far  as  the  connections  with  the  proposed  Grand  Trunk  Line 
with  Canada  are  concerned,  they  may  be  regarded  as  assured  of  completion 
within  a  very  limited  time. 

The  importance  of  the  Grand  Railroad  in  question,  can  scarcely,  we  think, 
be  over  estimated  either  in  aaiational  or  comiiiercial  point  of  view  ;  and 
we  cordially  respond  to  your  sentiments  as  expressed  in  the  document, 
forwarded  to  us  as  to  the  ground  upon  which  the  support,  both  of  American 
and  British  citizens,  is  sought.  We  shall  watch  with  the  most  lively  in- 
terest, tiie  proceedings  at  the  Convention,  and  although  circumstances 
have  prevented  our  sharing  in  this  preliminary  action,  we  yet  trust,  that 
under  the  able  control  into  which  the  organization  of  the  plan  has  fallen 
we  shall  bo  afforded  a  future  and  early  opportunity  of  evincing  our  hearty 
co-operation  in  a  scheme  which  we  ful'y  recognize  as  fraught  with^  the  ut- 
most benefit  to  Canada,  and  especially  to  the  particular  interests  we  repre- 
sent. 

I  have  the  honor  to  be,  Dear  Sir, 

Your  very  faithful  Servant, 

A.  T.  GALT, 
JoH.N  A.  Poon,  Es<i.  rreaident  ist.  L.  ^  At,  li.  R. 


¥'4 


67 

Hon.  Gco.  Moffatt,  Montreal. 

MoRTREAL,  July  26,  i850. 

Sir  :  —  1  havo  tlie  ho  lor  to  acknowledge  the  receipt  of  your  letter  of  tiio 
22d  inst,,  with  the  circular  and  pamphlet  which  accompanied  it,  and  which 
I  have  read  with  much  interest. 

It  would  be  difRcult  to  overrate  the  importance  of  a  Line  of  Railroads 
extending  from  the  eastern  coast  of  Nova  Scotia  to  tlie  interior  of  this 
country,  which  would  be  effected  by  the  project  contemplated  in  these 
papers,  and  which  appears  to  me  more  feasible  tlian  any  scheme  I  have  seen 
for  shortening  the  time  of  steam  communication  with  Europe.  It  is  there- 
fore, a  subject  of  regret  with  mo  tliat  my  enyagemunts  will  not  permit  me 
to  avail  myself  of  tiie  invitation  to  attend  tlie  Convention  which  is  to  as- 
semble at  Portland  on  the  3Ist  inst.,  for  the  consideration  of  this  project ; 
and  I  have  in  consequence  to  beg  of  you  to  offer  my  apology  to  the  Com- 
mittee of  Arrangements,  and  at  the  same  time,  my  acknowledgements  for 
the  honor  done  me. 

I  regret  this  more,  as  1  shoulu  have  enjoyed  the  additional  gratification 
of  again  meeting  several  of  the  gentlemen  whose  acquaintance  I  had  the 
pleasure  of  making,  on  my  former  visit  to  Portland- 

I  have  the  honor  to  be,  with  sentiments  of  respect  and  esteem,  sir,  your 
obedient  servant, 


John  A.   Poor,  Esq. 


G.  MOFFATT. 


Hon.  Joel  W.  White,  President  of  the  Norwich  &  Worcester 
Rail  Road  Company. 

Office  or  tiik  N.  &  W.  R.  R.  > 
JVorwich,  tt.,  July  27, 1850.  ) 

Dear  Sir  :  —  1  am  in  receipt  of  your  favor  of  24th  inst.,  with  circular, 
on  my  return  from  Sharon  Springs,  this  morning-,  giving  me  a  polite  invi- 
tation to  attend  a  Railroad  Convention  to  bo  held  at  the  city  of  Portland  on 
the  Slst  inst.  Nothing  would  have  afforded  me  more  Eiatisfaction  than  to 
accept  of  your  invitation.  But  my  health  is  such  that  I  am  necessitated  to 
deny  myself  the  pleasure. 

The  measure  sought  by  your  Committee,  is  one  which  presents  itself, 
with  irresistable  force,  to  the  enterprise  of  New  England.  Most  of  the 
Railroad  Corporations  in  New  England  have  a  direct  interest  in  its  final 
completion.  I  doubt  not  that  this  great  improvement  will  be  fully  appre- 
ciated by  the  capitalists  of  England  and  her  Provinces.  The  communica- 
tions between  the  two  countrie;  have  betome  so  frequent,  and  a  growing 
desire  of  the  citizens  of  this  infant  Republic  to  visit  the  Old  World,  with 
the  facility  of  the  Railroad  you  contemplate  constructi.i^.  will  so  shorten 
the  time  and  hazard  of  a  passage  across  the  Atlantic  ibut  i'  will  require  an 


w 


I;-*- 


68 


If- 
I 


"I.;" 


:l 


iiamenM  fleet  of  ■teamen  to  perform  the  Mrriee  between  the  termini  of 
your  Road  and  the  ncarett  port  in  England.  While  nationa  are  uniting  to 
croai  the  continent  of  South  America  to  ahorten  the  diatance  by  aea,  the 
aame  reasona  apply  with  full  force,  that  erery  facility  ahould  be  granted  to 
we  the  continent  of  North  America  for  the  conatruetion  of  Railroada  to 
the  moat  feaaible  pomta,  to  ahorten  the  diatance  acroaathe  Atlantic,  thereby 
ensure  despatch  and  aecurity  both  to  peraona  and  property  on  the  greateat 
thoroughfare  to  be  known  upon  the  globe. 

You  certainly  have  the  hearty  co-operation  of  tny  influence,  to  advocate 
the  commencement  and  completion  of  the  greateat  National  Railroad  pro- 
ected  by  youraelf  and  your  asaociatea  upon  the  Committee, a  work  worthy 
of  the  age  in  which  we  live,  and  if  conanmmatad,  will  be  a  laating  monu- 
ment of  fame  to  ita  projectora. 
I  haTe  the  honor  to  remain,  with  high  coniideratioa. 

Tour  obedient  aerrant, 

JOEL  W.  WHITE,  Prut. 
J.  A.  Poor,  Eaq.,  and  other  membera  of  the  Committee. 


D.  A.  Neal,  Esq.,  President  of  the  Eastern  Railroad. 

Salem,  S4th  July,  1850. 
JoHH  A.  Poor,  Esq. 

Dear  Sir  :  —  1  have  your  letter  of  the  22d.  I  will  endeavor  to  see  Mr. 
Howe  in  time  to  state  to  him  your  wishes  in  regard  to  measures  for  facili- 
tating the  objects  of  your  Convention. 

1  have  not  sufficiently  atudied  the  details  of  your  plan  to  give  an  opinion 
of  its  practicability ;  but  a  man  must  have  great  courage  or  great  stupidi- 
ty, to  assume,  at  this  day  that  anything  not  physically  impossible,  will  not 
be  undertaken  and  accomplished.  To  ascertain  what  are  its  practical  diffi- 
culties, is,  1  imagine,  the  object  of  your  application  to  the  Legislature,  and 
to  back  that  application  is  the  design  of  the  Convention,  and  I  trust  it  may 
be  successful.  The  result  of  your  pout  suggestions  and  efforts  in  the  cause 
of  railroads  in  Maine,  is  quite  sufficient  to  encourage  you  in  these  you  are 
now  making. 

In  regard  to  the  results  to  be  obtained,  if  your  plan  for  "  shortening  the 
time  of  passage  "  across  the  Atlantic,  should  be  carried  out,  some  definite 
idea  may  be  formed  even  now.  Steamboats,  like  race  horses,  will  make 
■peed  as  they  carry  leas  weight.  The  distance  from  Cape  Canao  to 
Galway  being  one-third  leaa  than  from  Liverpool  to  New  York,  one- 
third  less  weight  of  water,  proviaiona  and  fuel  would  be  lequired  ;  and 
this,  1  think  ought,  other  things  being  equal,  to  give  at  least,  one  mile 
in  fifteen  greater  epeedi  saving  in  2000  miles,  not  less  than  eight  hours. 
The  1000  milec  of  Railroad  could  be  accomplished  in  40  against  67  hours 


mu 


iitmiMli 


59 

by  iteameri,  making  the  total  gain  35  houri  in  the  paHage.  The  time  a 
aea  would  be  75  boon  le«n  Thii  would  be  lufficient  to  turn  the  current  of 
trarel,  if  not  eounteraeted,  from  the  United  Statee,  and  would  be  aure  to 
take  all,  to  and  from  the  Britiih  Province!. 

f  beg  leave  to  hand  you  herewith,  one  of  the  Eaitern  R.  R.  Report 
and  remain,  very  truly  youri,  D.  A.  NEAL. 


From  Hon.  Icaabod  Goodwin,  President  of  the  Portland,  Saco  and 
Portsmouth  Railroad. 

PonTiMODTH,  July  31, 1850. 

Mr  Dear  Sir  :  —  I  regret  that  &  alight  indiaposition  deprives  me  of  the 
pleasure  of  attending  the  Railroad  Convention  to  be  holden  in  Portland  this 
day.  1  trust  the  Convention  will  be  well  attended,  and  that  a  spirit  of 
enterprize  may  pervade  the  councils  of  the  meeting,  which  shall  induce  im- 
mediate action  to  carry  forward  the  great  object  you  have  under  considera- 
tion. I  am,  with  great  respect, 

your  obedient  servant, 
John  A.  Poor,  Ea«.,  Portland,  ICHABOD  GOODWIN. 


From  B.  T.  Reeo.  Esq.,  a  Director  in  the  Eastern  Railroad. 

Boston,  July  24th,  1850. 
John  A.  Poor,  Esi^. 
Dkar  Sir:  —  A  positive  engagement  to  attend  the   Annual  Meeting  of 

an  Incorporated  Company  in  New  Hampshire  on  the  Sist  inst.,  will  prevent 

my  accepting  your  polite   invitation  to  attend  the  Railway  Convention  at 

Portland  on  that  day. 

The  project  for  a  Railway  connexion  with  Halifax,  is  grand  and  noble  ; 

and  I  have  no  question  that  the  enterprise  and  wealth  of  Maine  will  be 

found  equal  to  the  undertaking,  and  the  present  is  in  my   opinion  a  very 

favorable  moment  for  the  commencement  of  the  work.    Railroad  Iron  will 

probably  never  be   cheaper  than  it  can  now  be  purchased  for.    Labor  is 

cheap  and  abundant ;  all  things  conspire  in  your  favor,  and  you  have  my 

most  ardent  wishes  in  year  behalf. 

In  haste,  I  am,  Dear  Sir, 

yours  very  truly, 

B.  T.  REED. 


From  Thomas  West,  Esq.,  late  President  of  the  Boston  and 

Maine  Railroad. 

Haverhill,  July  90, 1860. 

OearSir:  — Your  letter  of  the  !26th  inst.  with  the  circular,  issued  by 

the  Committeee  who  have  in  charge  the  management  of  the  Railway  Con- 


d 


'*  J 


U%"r 


m 


60 

vention  to  be  held  in  tlie  Cily  of  Portland,  on  the  Slat  insl ,  as  also,  a  copy 
of  the  pamphlet,  and  map  tietlin^  fourth  the  general  outlines  of  the  plan 
for  a  Rniiway  and  Steamboat  communication  between  this  country,  and  the 
Dritisli  Provinces  with  Great  Britain,  are  received,  and  from  a  hasty  peru- 
•al,  and  examination,  1  think  the  project  will  command  the  public  favor. 

Early  in  my  connection  with  the  Boston  and  Maine  Railroad  1  was  im> 
pressed  with  the  belief,  that  this  line  of  Railroad  would  ultimately  pass  to 
the  Eastern  boundary  of  your  State,  at  Calais,  or  Robbinstown,  and  there 
connect  by  Railroad,  or  by  Steamboats  with  St.  John  and  Halifax. 

At  present  1  suppose  you  are  aware  that  there  h  a.  continuous  chain  of 
Railroads,  from  your  City  to  the  City  of  New  York— a  continuous  chain  to 
Troy,  and  to  the  lakes  ;  also,  with  all  the  principal  Railroads  in  New  Hamp- 
shire, and  Vermont,  and  ere  long  to  be  completed,  in  extension  from  Bur- 
lington, Vt.,  to  Oj^densburg,  N.  Y.,  and  to  Montreal  in  Canada. 

Should  the  proposed  project  be  carried  out,  of  constructing  a  Railroad 
from  Bangor  to  Calais,  St.  John,  Halifax,  and  to  Canso,  and  then  take 
Steamboats  for  Gnlway  in  Ireland,  there  can  hardly  be  a  doubt,  that  a  large 
proportion  of  the  travel  to  and  from  this  country  and  Europe,  would  take 
it,  in  preference  to  tho  ocean  steamers,  via  Boston,  or  New  York  in  con- 
tingency of  its  consuming  as  much  time  one  way,  as  the  other. 

There  can,  I  think,  be  no  doubt  your  Legislature  will  cause  the  survey  to 
be  made,  as  the  Road  will  pass  ihrough  the  State  favorable  to  connect  with 
it,  at  almost  all  points  that  require  Railroad  facilities. 

For  the  very  flattering  expressions  uf  the  Committee,  that  I  would  attend 
the  Convention,  I  present  you  my  thanks  —  but,  my  health  has  been  so 
much  impaired,  b}'  over  exertion  in  railroad  service  that  I  decline  attending 
all  meetings  of  this  kind.  That  1  should  feel  an  interest  in  the  success  of 
the  proposed  plan  you  will  t:ot  doubt,  as  its  success  will  aid  to  the  businetis 
and  value  of  a  road  on  which  1  have  devoted  ten  years  of  my  life,  in  its 
construction  and  management;  and  during  ihe  time  experienced  all  the 
embarrassment  incident  to  the  commencing,  the  construction  of  a  Railroad 
without  the  necessary  capital  being  first  subscribed. 

I  am,  gentlemen, 

your  obedient  servant, 
John  A.  Poor,  Esq.  THOMAS  WEST. 


ii 


Prof.  B.  Silliman,  L.  L.  D. 

New  Havkn,  July  25,  1850. 
To  John  A.  Poor,  Esq.,  and  his  Associates. 

Gentlemen  :  —  I  have  been  honored  by  your  letter  and  printed  paper  on 
the  subject  of  the  projected  Railroad  from  and  to  tho  British  Provinces  and 
through  the  State  of  Maine.  The  enterprise  is  certainly  one  of  high  im- 
portance and  1  hope  it  may  find  favor  and  adequate  means  of  a-^oomplish- 
ment. 


61 

It  would  (jive  me  no  amall  pleasure  to  altond  the  proposed  meeting  at 
Portland  on  the  31st  inst.,  but  I  regret  to  say  it  is  impossible,  and  itnp(jrtant 
public  duties  will  confine  me  here  for  three  weeks  to  conic. 

I  ask  the  favor  of  you  soon  to  send  mo  another  printed  circular  or  two  — 
That  which  I  received  I  enclosed  to  a  friend  in  London,  Dr.  Gideon  Alge- 
rnon Montell,  10  Chester  Square.  This  gentlemin  has  published  numerous 
works  especially  on  Geology,  and  is  particularly  interested  in  Railroads  and 
internal  improvements  generally. 

Your  printed  paper  1  had  time  only  to  glance  over,  as  the  mail  for  Un^;- 
land  was  near  closing  ;  and  I  do  not  justly  apprehend  the  state  of  your  en- 
terprise, whether  explorations  and  preliminary  surveys  have  been  already 
made,  or  whether  the  whole  is  future. 

Hoping  to  hear  from  you  again,  I  Remain,  Dear  Sir,  and  Gentlemen, 

Yours,  Respectfully, 

B.  SILLIMAN. 


Prof.  W.  R.  Johnson,  of  Washington. 

VVashihotow,  July  25,  1850. 
Dear  Sir  :  —  I  have  the  honor  to  acknowledge  your  kind  letter  of  the 
22d  inst.,  inclosing  a  circular  relative  to  the  Convention  proposed  to  be  held 
in  Portland  on  the  31st  of  this  month,  in  relation  to  a  railroad  connection 
between  iVIaine  and  the  British  Provinces  of  New  Brunswick  and  Nova 
Scotia,  and  inviting  my  attendance  on  that  interesting  occasion.  1  have 
also  been  favored  with  a  copy  of  the  pamphlet  to  which  you  refer.  I  have 
perused  both  the  circular  and  pamphlet,  with  great  pleasure,  and  can  as- 
sure you,  that  if  any  thing  could  add  to  the  anticipated  pleasure  of  ex- 
changing, at  this  season,  the  air  of  Washington  for  that  of  the  beautiful 
place  where  the  Convention  is  to  be  held,  it  would  be  the  hopejof  partici- 
pating in  the  deliberations  of  the  body  assembled  foL°  so  noble  and  praise- 
worthy an  object  as  that  which  you  now  have  in  view. 

Having,  a  lew  years  since,  enjoyed  an  opportunity  of  traversing  much  of 
the  country  proposed  to  be  passed  over  by  the  contemplated  road,  I  have 
often  reflected  on  the  practicability  and  importance  of  a  connection,  by 
railroad,  between  the  points  traced  on  the  map  accompanying  your  pamph- 
let. 

The  bold  project  of  spanning  the  strait  of  Canso,  with  a  railroad  bridge, 
is  a  fitting  cotcmporary  for  that  which  has  already  been  executed  on  the 
other  side  of  the  Atlantic,  and  for  the  still  bolder  designs  which  look,  with 
a  faith  and  confidence  only  known  to  the  Anglo  Saxons  of  the  nineteenth 
century,  towards  the  Western  rivers,  prairies,  snowy  peaks  or  rocky  isth* 
muses,  and  the  far  off  Pacific. 

It  would  indeed  be  a  triumph  for  commerce  and  the  arts  of  peace,  should 


biu  of  the  projeeU,  iketehed  on  the  napi,  be  earried  into  effect ;  — ihoald 
the  deicendanta  of  thoie  who  in  1759  eo-operatrd  to  lay  waate  tho  brare  old 
iortreu  of  Loaiiburg,  be  found  in  1S59  Tieing  with  eaeh  other,  in  rebuild- 
ing happjr  hoDiea  to  which  they  may  welcome  the  itranger  from  every  land 
in  the  old  world, and,may,  with  ipecial  cordiality,  ioTite  the  gay  Pariaianto 
look  on  leenei  more  attractive  thandelapidated  ramparia,  gaping  cuemcnti, 
ruined  lighthouiei,  and  deaolate  hearthttonei  of  a  former  generation. 

The  banishment  of  national  animoiitiei  would  then  and  there  aaaume  a 
■ignificaace  truly  eheeriag  to  every  lover  of  freedom  and  of  peace. 

The  oceaaion  will,  I  doubt  not,  awakan  to  full  activity,  the  pnblie  apirit 
and  enterprise  of  Now  England.  It  will  call  forth,  it  ia  to  be  hoped,  a  re> 
sponte  to  the  resolve  of  St.  John  and  Halifax,  and  bring  into  eo-operatiott 
the  Angle-Bazon  energies  under  whatever  names,  or  in  whatever  latitudes 
they  may  have  chanced  to  fix  their  abodes. 

With  these  views  and  senumeuts,  I  re.;ret  exceedingly  that  professional 
engagements,  extending  over  the  few  days  rrhich  are  to  elapse  before  the 
meeting  of  the  Convention,  will  preclude  the  possibility  of  accepting  your 
kind  invitation. 

I  hope  you  will,  however,  do  me  the  favor  to  eommuniaate  to  the  Com- 
mittee,  my  thanks  for  this  mark  of  their  attention  and  ray  cordial  wishes 
for  the  success  of  their  important  enterprise. 

Yours,  Very  Respectfully, 
John  A.  Poor,  Esq.,  Chairman,  &c.  WALTER  R.  JOHNSON. 


From  DocT.  C.  T.  Jacesoh,  Boston,  Geologist. 

fiosTOR,  July  S3d,  1860. 
JoHR  A.  Poor,  Esq., 

Dkar  Sir  :  —  I  am  mueh  obliged  to  you  for  your  polite  invitatioa  to 
attend  the  Railway  Convention  in  Portland,  on  the  3Ist.  inst. 

Having  eiplored  both  Nova  Seotia  and  Maine,  I  feel  particularly  inter* 
ested  in  whaterer  may  tend  to  promote  their  further  examination,  and  to 
bring  forth  their  natural  resources,  and  I  am  of  opinion  that  a  Railway 
will  tend  to  benefit  both  these  ooaatriee,  and  the  Eastern  States  generally. 
How  many  important  geological  and  mineralologieal  discoveries  will  result 
from  ^he  surveys  and  exeavasions  oa  a  line  of  railway  crossing  so  many 
very  important  rock  formations,  yoa  may  well  imagine.  Tour  road  will 
give  the  very  best  section  of  the  geological  structure  of  the  country  that 
can  possibly  be  made,  and  will  diselose  valnable  minerals  withoat  doubt 
Provision  should  therefor*  be  made  to  collect  and  aseurately  record  all 
•nob  discoveriea,  during  the  piogrese  of  the  surrey  and  laying  out  of  the 
road.  It  may  be  well  also  to  make  aeoarate  explorations  for  some  miles  ca 
eaoh  aide  of  the  line  of  the  road,  in  order  to  discover  what  useful  minerale 
exist  near  enough  to  the  track  to  be  rendered  available  for  transporting  to 
market.    Also  to  discoTer  the  moot  oaefal joeka  I'or  railway  nses. 


1:1 


63 

The  line  of  Rtilroad  through  New  Bruniwick  tnd  NoTt  Scotia,  will 
be  in  the  carboniferoue  leriea  of  roeki  where  coal  and  (jrpium  will  be 
found  without  doubt.  Theie  will  prore  ralaable  aa  freight  on  the  Railway 
and  will  add  to  the  reaourcea  of  Maine,  bj  enabling  her  to  work  her  minea 
of  Iron,  and  to  inprove  her  aoil.  It  ii  hardly  neceaaary  to  add,  that  a  raat 
amount  of  raluable  eoientifie  information  will  be  diaeloaed  by  your  Rt  il- 
way  auryeya,  and  explorationa  ;  for  that  ia  perfectly  obvioua.  j 

The  economical  bearinga  alone  will  be  looked  to  in  thia  project,  and  1 
cannot  doubt  that  if  carried  on  with  energy  and  akill,  it  will  prore  ralnable 
to  Maine,  to  have  thia  railway  along  her  coaat. 

Much  of  the  ground  I  am  familiar  with  and  ahould  judge  it  to  be  very 
practicable  for  railwaya.  In  New  Brunawiek  and  Nova  Scotia,  the  route 
being  orer  red  aand  atone  that  ia  nearly  horiiontal.  Ton  will  find  it  very 
eaay  to  lay  a  track  on  good  ground  at  little  ezpenae.  The  aaroe  ia  true  of 
moat  of  the  routea  in  Nova  Scotia. 

If  I  am  noi  required  to  go  to  Virginia  next  week,  I  will  attend  your 
Conrention  with  great  pleaaure. 

With  high  regard,  I  am 

Your  Ob't.  Servant, 

CHARLES  T.  JACKSON, 

Late  Gcologiat  of  Maine,  &c. 


From  Pnor.  Smtth,  of  Bowdoin  College. 

Brcrbwicx,  July  30th,  1850. 
OiAR,  Sir  :  —  I  have  to  thank  you  for  your  favor  of  the  26th  inat.  invit- 
ing me,  in  behalf  of  the  committee  of  arrangeuenta,  to  attend  the  propoaed 
Railroad  meeting  in  your  city  to-morrow.  It  waa  my  purpoae  to  comply 
with  the  invitation.  Ciroumatancea,  however,  have  unezpectly  occurred, 
which  now  place  it  out  of  my  power  to  be  abaent  from  my  College  dutiea  for 
the  time  neceaaary  for  the  purpoae.  I  concur  fully  in  the  riewa  espreaaed 
iR  the  pamphlet,  you  alao  obligingly  aent  me,  in  reapect  to  the  feaaibility 
of  the  propoaed  plan,  and  the  vaat  importanee  of  ita  execution  to  the  inter- 
eata  of  our  State.  I  traat  that  a  good  impulae  will  be  given  to  the  project, 
at  the  porpoaed  meeting,  at  which  I  much  regret  that  I  am  not  able  to  be 
preaent.  Truly  and  reapectfnlly  youra, 

WILLIAM  SMTTH. 


From  M.  L.  Applbtoit,  Eaq.,  Member  of  the  Houae  of  Repreaentativea 
for  Bangor. 

HoCai   OF   RiPRIBIIfTATlVBa, 

AcGoaTA,  July  30,  1850. 
To  Job*  A.  Poor,  Eaq., 

OiAR  Sir  :  —  Until  tbia  moannt  I  hid  taticipated  the  pleaaore  of  being 


B 


G4 


w 


1  ; 


m 


■ah 

III 


m 


I 


preient  at,  and  in  s  tiunilile  way  participating,  in  tlio  action  of  Iho  impor- 
tant convi-nlion  to  bo  held  in  your  city  to-morrow. —  I  deeply  regret  that 
one  of  tlioic  incitUntt  in  life  which  arc  beyond  our  control,  will  prevent 
a  coinpliinco  with  your  kind  reciuest. 

I  well  remuinber,  when  you  firrit  called  public  attention  to  the  feasibil- 
ity of  uniting,  with  banda  ot  iron,  tho  waters  of  Ihr  Kt.  Lawrence,  at  Mon- 
treal, with  those  of  thu  Atlantic  at  Portland.  That  project,  then  deemed 
itn  doubtful  by  many,  ia  now  certain  of  successful  completion,  audits 
happy  fulfillment  will  advance  the  interest  and  prosperity  of  our  State,  in 
the  pathway  of  onward  progression  at  least  a  half  century.  And  when, 
at  the  public  meeting  held  last  winter  in  the  city  of  Bangor,  you  first  sug- 
gested the  idea  of  constructing  a  continuous  line  of  railway  through  the 
State  of  Maine  and  the  Hritish  Provinces,  to  Cape  Canio — a  line  destined 
to  become  the  great  thoroughfore  of  European  communication — the  public 
mind  was  nt  once  aroused  to  its  importance. 

The  scheiuo  was  regarded  as  grand,  but  at  the  same  time  considered 
practicable,  and  I  trust  the  proposed  convention  will  be  fruitful  in  legitimate 
results,  which  will  conduce  to  a  speedy  accomplishment  of  an  object  so 
deeply  interesting  to  Europe  and  America. 

From  the  apparent  interest  thus  far  manifested  in  both  branches  of  the 
Legislature,  I  have  no  doubt,  they  will  yield  a  cordial  acquiescence  in 
granting  the  prayer  of  the  Petition,  and  appropriating  a  liberal  sum  toward 
the  immediate  completion  of  a  survey  to  the  Eastern  bo'indary  of  the 
State.  We  do  not,  neither  should  it  be  regarded  as  a  Slate  enterprise  ex- 
clusively. It  is  as  much  a  National  as  a  State  work — an  improvement, — 
not  limited  by  geographical  lines,  but  promotive  of  the  prosperity  of  the 
United  States,  as  well  as  the  British  Provinces.  Let  the  great  work  go 
on. — The  impulsive  character  of  the  age  is  the  guarantee  of  success.  Let 
there  be  no  folding  of  hands,  or  resting  satisfied  with  exclamations  of 
wonder  !  The  present  may  as  well  do,  what  the  children  of  the  future 
will  surely  do,  wondering  why  the  fathers  of  the  past  should  have  htjsi- 
tated  to  follow  the  voice  of  progress  and  improvement. 

In  the  many  distinguished  persons  who  will  be  present  from  the  Prov- 
inces, you  will  find  co-workers,  of  the  highest  character  and  worth,  who 
will  I  doubt  not,  render  every  aid  and  influence  in  carrying  out  this  mag- 
nificent enterprise.  With  sentiments  of  respect, 

I  am  yours  truly, 

M.  L.  APPLETON. 


From  Hon.  J.  V.  L.  Pbdvn,  of  the   Legislature  of  New  York. 

Albany,  July  Slst,  1850. 
Dear  Sir: — On  ray  return   home  after  an  absence  of  several   days,  1 
find  your  favor  of  the  2iid  inst,  inviting  me  to  attend  the  Covention  to  be 
held  in   Portland  this  day,   in  reference  to  the  project  of  shortening  the 


65 

paitage  acrnst  the  Atlnntic,  by  the  construction  of  a  lino  of  Railway 
through  the  State  of  Maine,  to  #oino  good  linrbDr  on  the  Kattern  Coaat  of 
Nova  Scotia.  I  entirely  concur  with  your  coinmittpo  in  their  riew  »o  ably 
stated  in  their  circular,  aatotlie  importance  of  tliia  prnject  :  and  I  truat  that 
early  uieaaurei  will  be  taken  to  carry  it  out.  It  would  afTord  me  great 
pleasure  to  be  preacnt  at  your  meeting,  and  I  regret  that  I  cannot  attend  it. 

With  my  bust  wishes  for  the  succpsa  of  your  tnterpri.te,  and  mj  acknow  1 
edgementa  to  the  cominitlee  and  yourself,  for  the  invitation  addre-sedto 
roe.  I  remain  with  great  respect. 

Yours,  Ate.  &c.         JOHN  V,  I..  IMIUVN. 

JouM  A.  Poor,  Eaq  .  Portland. 


ig. 


s,l 

be 
Ithe 


From  Hon.  John  Young,  Vice  President  of  the  St.  Lawrence  and 
Atlantic    Railroad  Company. 

Montreal,  July  25th,  IHuO. 

John  A.  Poor,  C^q.,  Portland. 

Mv  Dear  Sir:— Your  letter  of  Ihe^Oth  inst  ,  as  well  as  your  Telegraph 
dispatch  came  duly  to  hand,  inviting  me  to  the  Convention  on  the  3lgt,  at 
Portland,  to  consider  the  propriety  of  extending  a  Railway  through 
Maine  and  New  Brunswick,  to  a  point  at  Canso,  in  Nova  Scotia,  have  been 
received,  as  well  as  the  very  able  report  to  your  Legislaluri)  on  the  subject. 

I  am  now  alone  in  the  conduct  jt  a  large  business,  which,  with  the  du- 
ties I  have  to  perfoim  ir.  iuc  ubsenbe  of  the  President,  as  Vice  President 
of  the  Atlantic  and  St.  Lawrence  Railroad  Company,  keeps  me  fully  em- 
ployed, and  I  regret  much  to  say,  that  at  this  time  it  ia  almost  impossible 
for  me  to  leave  the  city. 

1  am  glad  that  the  Quebec  and  Halifax  Road  has  received  its  "quietuR. " 
That  it  may  ultimately  be  built,  1  have  but  little  doubt,  but  at  present,  I 
have  always  moved  its  prosecution  as  impracticable,  and  with  the  present 
population  of  the  British  Provinces,  it  would  never  pay.  The  project  of 
connecting  Quebec  and  Montreal,  with  Nova  Scotia  and  New  Brunswick 
through  Maine,  will,  with  a  few  side  roads  to  populous  places,  form  the 
Maine  line,  ^ive  to  these  Provinces  all  the  advantages  sought  for  by  the 
line  on  the  St.  Lawrence,  but  will,  from  taking  a  departure  for  England, 
&c.,  at  Canso,  command  the  travel  of  the  South  and  West,  of  those  de- 
signing to  cross  the  Atlantic. 

The  measure  has  my  fullest  approbation,  and  has  in  itself  so  much  to 
commend  it,  that  nothing  in  my  opinion  will  prevent  its  being  carried 
through.  You  must  not  however,  rely  much  on  assistance  from, Canada, 
as  you  must  admit  that  she  is  doing  very  well,  in  carrying  the  Portland 
road  to  the  lines,  and  besides  this,  the  will  have  to  connect  Quebec  with 
Melbourne — Nova  Scotia  and  New  Brunswick  musi  put  their  shoulder  to 
the  wheel,  and  I  shall  be  disappointed  in  my  estimate  of  the  public  spirit, 


I 


if. 


66 

anc  energy  of  Ihp  people  of  both    I'rovincei,  if  they  do  not,  on  this  occa- 
sion act  Inrgdy  and  liberally. 

Hopinff  that  you  will  have  a  large  and'iatisfactnry  meeting, 

I  am  ('ear  sir,— Youra  truly, 

JOHN  YOUNG. 
P.  S.— I  do  not  think  there  will  be  any  Representative  from  our  Road, 
and  1  have  not  heard  uf  any  others  going.  J.  Y. 


From  Hon.  T.  B.  Curtis,  of  Boston. 

Boston,  July  30lh,  1850. 
To  J.  A.  Poor,  Esq.,  Portland. 

DiiAR  Sir  :  —  This  is  one  of  the  occasions  when  I  am  compelled  to  regret 
that  1  cunnnt  ^n  "  in  two  places  at  once  !  "  The  object  of  the  meeting  is 
a  noble  one,  and  worthy  of  the  age  and  the  men  who  have  conceived  it. — 
Any  ties  that  tend  to  bind  th  ie  States  the  mare  indissolubly  together,  I 
deem  holy  ;  and  but  second  to  such  I  regard  those  which  serve  to  connect 
the  great  Anglo-Saxon  race.  In  this  spirit  1  wish  you  speedy  and  ulti- 
mate success.  Faithfully  yours, 

THO.  B.  CURTIS. 


From  Chakles  Sumner,  Esij,,  of  Boston. 

Boston,  July  30th,  1350. 

i}£AR  Sir:  —  !  ':::ve  been  honored  by  your  istter  of  J'xly  22d,  inviting 
me  to  attend  the  Railway  Convention  at  Portland  on  fhe  Slst,  end  tu  ad. 
dress  it  in  bujIi  manner  as  may  b..  most  n^reeable  to  myself. 

It  is  not  in  my  power  to  be  present;  but,  :vhile  thanking  ynu  for  the 
honor  of  an  invitation,  1  cannot  miss  the  oppor'.ur.ity  of  exp'essing  my  cor- 
dial intnresi  in  tlie  geaeral  purposes  of  the  proposeu  Convention. 

You  hope,  by  new  lines  of  railway,  to  draw  neighbor  States  and  Provin- 
ces into  a  closer,  social,  and  commercial  fellowship;  and,  by  extending  the 
means  of  travel  on  the  land,  to  abridge  the  long  sea-voyage  between  Ameri- 
ca and  Europe,  and  thus  to  bring  the  two  hemisplieres  nearer  together. — 
Such  a  design  has  a  generosity  and  grandeur  worthy  of  our  age.  Its  con- 
summation will  be  a  victory,  more  beneficent,  more  christian,  more  truly 
honorable  than  any  bloody  success.  To  the  men  whose  wise  forecast  con- 
coived  it,  and  to  the  men,  whose  earnest  labors  shall  execute  it,  will  be 
awarded — as  mankind  advance  in  virtue,  and  learn  to  know  their  true  ben- 
efactors—  the  praise  which  is  now  lavished  on  deeds  of  battle. 

I  cannot  doubt  that  the  materia!  advantages,  at  leastto  the  community, 
from  such  avenues  of  communication  will  be  in  entire  harmony  with  the 
greatness  of  the  design.  The  producer,  the  mannfactiirpr  and  the  consu- 
mer will  all  be   brought  nearer  together  ;   intercourse  of  all  kinds   will  be 


67 

promoted  ;  commerce  will  be  quickened  ;  markets  will  be  opened;  proper 
ty,  wherever  touched  by  these  lines,  will  be  changed,  as  by  a  divining  rod 
into  new  values;  and  the  great  current  oi  travel,  like  that  stream  in  classi- 
cal fable,  or  one  of  the  rivers  of  California,  will  £11  its  channel  with  golden 
sands. 

It  would  be  difficult  lo_  estimate  the  influence  of  roads  as  a  means  of 
civilization.  Where  they  are-not,  civilization  cannot  be  ;  and  civilization 
advances,  as  these  ore  extended.  And  yet  an  ancient  poet, —  while  pic- 
turing the  Golden  Age  as  without  long  lines  of  ruad,  has  actually  referred 
to  this  circumstance,  as  apparently  creditable  to  that  primitive  period  in 
contrast  with  his  own  time.  «'  How  well  "  enclaimed  TibuUus,  "  they 
lived  while  Satan  ruled ;  before  the  earth  was  opened  by  long  ways.  " 

Quam  bene  Saturno  vivebant  rege  ;  pruisquam 
Tellus  in  longas  est  patefacta  viaa. 

But  the  true  Golden  Age  is  before  us  ;  not  behind  us ;  and  one  of  its  tokens 
will  be  the  completion  of  these  lovg  rcays,  ')>>  which  villages,  towns,  coun- 
ties, states,  provinces,  nations  are  all  to  be  associated  together  in  the  bonds 
of  Peace  Faithfully  yours, 

Hon.  John  A.  1'oor.  CHARLES  SUMNER. 


From  Hon.  Albert  Smith. 

Wasiiinoto.v,  July  1.9th,  18'0. 

.Mv  DEAnSm:  —  I  have,  this  moment,  received  your  notv- of  the  26tk 
ult.  kindly  inviting  me,  in  behalf  of  the  Committee  of  arrangements  for 
the  Convention  to  be  holden  in  Portland  on  the  Slst  of  the  present  month, 
to  be  present  upon  that  most  interesting  occasion. 

It  would  not  now  be  possible  for  me  to  avail  myself  of  your  politeness, 
and  reach  your  city  in  time  to  take  any  part  in  the  proceedings  of  this 
meeting  of  the  friends  of  public  improvemnt,  even  if  my  engagements 
here,  would  permit  me  to  make  the  attempt. 

But,  1  bid  you  —  God  speed  —  tcith  all  my  heart  —  and,  it  any  efTort  of 
mine  shall,  hereatler,  be  required  to  aid  in  your  grmt  cnterprize,  it  may 
always  be  commanded. 

In  great  haste,  very  cordially, 

your  friend  and  obedient  servant, 
John  A.  Poor,  Esq.,  ALBERT  S.MITH. 


Rev.  Leonard  Wood,  D.  D.,  Prst.  of  Bowdoin  College. 

BowDoiN  CoLLEOK,  BRUNSWICK,  July  27,  1850. 
Mv  Deak  Siu  :  —  I  regret  very  much  that  it   will  be   impossible  for  me 
to  leave  Brunswick  on  the  day  fi.xed  upon   for  the    Convention.     I  should 
have  felt  great  interest  in  listening  to  the  deliberations  of  the  Convention 


mmsmm 


68 

respecting  Ihe  truly  mn^nificent  scheme  which  it  will  have  in  considera- 
tion. So  far  as  I  can  judj.'*^  it  seema  to  me  to  be  a  plan  in  the  auccess  of 
which  ail  parts  of  the  State  are  deeply  interested. 

1  remain,  Dear  Sir,  very  truly  and  respectfully, 

your  obedient  servant. 
J.  A.  Poor,  Eiq.  LEONARD  WOOD. 


From  Rev.  Dr.  Sheldon,  Prst.  of  Waterville  College. 

VVateuville  College,  July  30, 1850. 
To  John  A.  Poor,  Esq., 

Sir  :  —  I  liave  tha  honor  to  acknowledge  the  receipt  of  your  letter,  with 
an  accompanying  circular,  pamphlet,  and  map,  calling  my  attention  to  the 
magnificent  scheme  of  &  Railroad  through  this  State  to  the  extreme  limit 
of  Nova  Scotia ;  and  also  inviting  my  attendance  at  the  Convention  which 
is  to  assemble  to-morrow  at  Portland  to  consider  the  claims  of  this  enter- 
prise Though  little  accustomed  to  join  even  as  a  spectator  in  cuch  meet- 
ings, yet  could  1  be  spared  from  my  duties  in  the  College,  it  would  in  this 
instance,  give  mo  great  pleasure  to  be  present  on  in:  occasion  of  so  much 
interest.  But  in  my  situation,  I  must  content  my^ulf  with  the  expression 
of  an  earnest  hope,  that  a  plan,  so  eminently  useful  and  practicable,  may  bei 
as  speedily  as  possible,  carried  into  execution. 

I  have  the  honor  to  be  your  obedient  servant, 

D    N.  SHELDON. 


From  Rev.  E.  Pond,  Professor  in  the  Bangor  Theological  Semi- 
nary. 

Bahgor,  July  29,  1850. 
To  JoHM  A.  Poor,  Esq.,  Chairman  of  Committee. 

Dear  Sjr  :  —  four  favor  of  the  26th  was  duly  recei<'ed.  You  may  be 
assured  that  I  feel  the  deepest  interest  in  tlie  great  enterprize  which  your 
communications  present,  and  that  nothing  shall  be  wanting  which  I  can  do 
to  promote  it.  [t  would  give  me  the  great>>st  pleasure  to  be  present  at  the 
propoaed  Convention  ;  but  my  duties  at  the  Seminary  —  the  more  pressing, 
as  we  are  now  on  the  eve  of  our  anniversary — will  pre-ent.  Please  pre- 
sent my  kind  regards  to  the  members  of  your  Committee,  and  accept  assu- 
rances of  any  and  every  assistance  which  I  can  consistently  render,  in 
coniumrnating  the  great  work  which  is  now  contemplated. 

Yours  with  much  respect, 

E.  POND. 


Hon.  Jos.  T.  Buckingham. 

Cambridge,  July  29,  1850. 
To  J.  A.  Poo-  ,  Esq  , 

Dear  Sir  :  —  Your  note  of  the  S6th  inat.  with  the  pamphlet  ond  piap 


To 


69 

therein  referred  lo,  wa»  duly  received.  I  feel  honored  by  the  attention  oi 
the  Committee  of  which  you  are  Chairman,  and  the  more  so,  as  it  is  the 
first  notice  of  the  kind,  which  I  iiavc  received,  since  I  ceased  to  be  an  edi- 
tor. The  plan  wh'"!.  your  Convention  in  called  lo  consider,  in,  beyond  all 
doubt,  a  feasible  one  —  f  executed,  a  profitable  one  ;  and  should  it  not  be 
carried  out  for  a  century  to  come,  is  highly  honorable  to  the  projectors  and 
lo  the  State  of  Maine,  ft  would  give  me  great  pleasure  to  bo  with  you  on 
the  3l(t.  and  to  tell  you  peritonally  how  much  it  gratifies  an  old  advocate 
for  home  industry  and  internal  improvements,  to  witness  any  attempt  to 
stimulate  the  enterprize  of  hi?  fellow  citizens,  and  .;>  strengthen  the  chain 
bat  binds  our  different  States  together,  and  those  States  to  the  rest  of  the 
world.  Indispeiisable  engagements  prevent  in"  leaving  home  during  the 
week,  or  1  should  certainly  avail  myself  of  your  polite  and  friendly  invita- 
tion to  visit  a  city,  which  I  never  saw  but  once,  and  to  confer  with  gentle 
men  for  whom,  though  all  strangers  but  one,  I  untertain  respect  aad  confi^ 
dence.  With  true  regard, 

your  friend  and  servant. 

JOS.  T.  BUCKINHAM. 


From  Dr.  Fkanklin  Bache,  of  Philadelphia. 

FniLAUELPBiA,  July  29tli,  1850. 

Dear  Si/  :  —  it  ;a  so.Tie  days  since  I  received  your  letter,  in  which  you 
do  me  the  honor  to  request  ray  attendance  at  the  Railway  Conveution  to 
be  held  in  Portland  on  the  31st  instant.  1  regret  that  my  engagements  put 
it  out  of  my  power  to  accept  your  invitation. 

Together  with  your  letter,  I  received  your  Committee's  Circular,  and  the 
Pemphlet, ;  finted  by  order  of  your  State  Legislature,  setting  forth  the  ;;^»n- 
eral  features  of  the  plan  you  have  in  view  for  shortening  the  time  of  pas- 
sage between  New  York  i.pd  London.  1  have  read  the  pamphlet  attentive- 
ly, and  examined  the  map  by  which  its  statements  are  illustrated,  and,  it 
appears  to  mc,  the  plan  is  feasible,  and,  if  prosecuted  in  a  liberal  spirit  to 
completion,  the  route  formed  for  England  would  h  preferred  by  passengers 
and  foi-  posliy  freight.  Comparing  the  route  between  New  York  and  Liv 
erpool  by  Steamera,  and  the  route  between  those  cities  by  the  proposed 
plan,  the  distance  travelled  would  not  be  very  different;  but,  by  the  pro- 
posed route,  about  one  thousand  miles  of  the  distance  would  be  aocomplish. 
rd  on  Railroads,  and  at  a  speed  at  least  double  that  of  Ocean  Steamers. — 
Thus,  the  passaire  between  the  two  cities  would  be  shortened  in  time  by 
the  proposed  route,  and  ;he  sea  voyage  abridged  one-third, 
lam  very  respectfully, 

your  obedient  servant, 

FRANKLIN  J3ACHE. 
To  John  A.  Poor,  Etq,.,  Portland,  Me 


70 

From  Major  Trimble,  Chief  Engineer  of  the  Philadelphia,  Wil- 
minglon,  and  Baltimore  Railroad. 

WiLMIBGTOK,  Julj  26. 

To  JoiL-c  A.  Poor,  Esq.. 

Dear  Sir  :  —  i  duly  appreciate  the  great  importance  of  the  project  of  a 
Railway  connectiou  between  the  United  Stairs  and  New  Drunswick,  and 
would  be  glad  to  aid  in  its  accomplishment  in  any  way.  Should  my  con- 
valescence, after  an  illness  of  rectr't  date,  be  sufBciently  advanced  to  per" 
mit  the  journey,  I  shall  be  pre-.ient  at  yoar  Cunvention.  . 

I  am,  ve.'y  truly  yours", 

J.  R.  TRIMCLE. 


Froin  Geo.  W.  Cooley,  Esq.,  of  Boston, 

BosTOW,  July  30th,  1850. 

My  Dkar  Sir:  — I  have  the  honor  to  acknowledge  the  receipt  of  your 
note,  inviting  me  in  behalf  of  the  Committee  of  arrangements  lobe  present 
lo  .iddress  the  Convention  to  be  holden  at  Portland  on  the  Slst  instant. 

Vhe  objects  of  the  proposed  Convention  are  such  as  must  snlist  the  sym- 
pathy and  challenge  the  admiration  of  every  friend  of  International  Comi- 
ty, and  of  Commercial  progress.  The  movement  is  noble,  nay,  sublime; 
and  if  supported  by  such  ability  and  energy  as  have  made  alledged  "im- 
possibililiet  "  historical  verities,  and  won  for  Portland  the  renown  of  hav 
ing  achieved  the  noblest  enterprize  of  the  age,  it  will  have  the  safest  guar- 
anty of  success.  My  engagements  prevent  participation  in  the  proceedings 
of  a  Convention  whose  purposes  are  of  high  and  impressive  import. — 
Let  none  be  so  craven  as  to  doubt  that  success  will  ultimately  crown 
their  generous  undertaking.  Sure  1  am  that  Maine  will  neither  overlook 
her  interests  nor  dishonor  her  escutcheon.  In  all  matters  of  Commercial 
interest,  let  her  gallantly  throw  to  the  I  reeze,  that  scroll,  whereon  is  writ- 
ten for  Ihd  admiration  of  this  Commonwealth  of  Free  States  that  magic 
word  "Dirigo,  "  full  of  the  most  chivalrous  sentiment. 

With  sentiments  of  great  respect,  I  have  t!ie  honor  to  honor  to  subscribe 
myself,  Your  obedient  Servant, 

GEO.  VV.  COOLEY. 
.1.  A.  Poor,  Esq.,  Portland,  Me. 


From  Jesse  Chickering,  Esq.,  of  Boston. 

Boston,  July  27,  1850. 
John  A.  Poor,  Esq. 

Df.4r  Sir  .  —  I  have  received  yours  of  the  20th  inst.  with  the   Circular 

and  a  copy  of  the  Pamphlet  and  Map,  relating  to  the  plan  of  extending  "a 

line  of  Railway  through  the  State  of  .Maine  to  the  Lower  British  Provinces 


iiXiSs:-j?ssii,  !■-,»• 


71 


and  to  Kome  good  harbor  on  the   Eastern  coast  of  Nova  Scotia,"  and  con- 
taining an  invitation  lo  attend  the  Convontijn  to  be  held  in  ['ortland  on  the 
3l8t  inst.  in  aid  of  the  project.     On  the  day  before   1  shall  havt'  occasion  to 
go  into  the  interior  of  New  Ilanipahir^,   I  shall   probably  be   unable  to  at- 
tend the  meeting.     1  think   favorable  of  extendini;    Railroads  through  our 
whi'le  country  for  the  purpose  of  facilitatinij    the  comninication   between 
the  several  parts,  as  fast  as  the  wants  of  the  people  require  it,  and  as  their 
means  will  allow.     Your  State  wns  settled  aiaon;j  the  first  in  the  country, 
and  its  population  has  increased  more  rapidly  than  any  other  in  New  Eng 
land  since  1790.     The  amount  of  its  increase  has   nearly  averaged  that  of 
the  United  States.     Considering    the  position  of  Maine   in  respect  to  the 
Atlantic  Ocean  and  the  British  Provinces,  it  is  very  desirable  that  it  should 
have  easy  communication  within  its  own  borders,  and  with  the  rest  oi  (he 
States,  not  only  for  the  convenience  of  its  inhabitants,  in  peace,  but  for  its 
defence  in  time  of  war,  —  though    I  wish   the   war  with  Great  Britain  in 
J812,  to  continue  to  be  thi:  last  wrr  with  that  Power  to  !he  end  of  time. — 
1  have  not  the  exact  knowledge  of  the  country  through  wliich  it  is  proposed 
to  make  the  road,  nor  of  the  business  wants  of  the  population,  to  enable  mo 
to  say  that  the  time  has  arrived   for  commencing  the  work  which  you  pro 
pose;  but  I  feel  confident  that  tiie  time  has  arrived  when  it  is  proper  to  meet 
in   Convention,   talk  the  subject   over,   collect   information,   and  awaken 
general  attention  to  it.     The  object  of  holding;  the  conveniion,  and  of  peti- 
tioning the  Legislature,  as  I  undersla.iH  it,  is  to  obtain    ar.i  diffuse  further 
and  more  exact  information  on  the  subject.     In  the  memorial  to  the  Legis- 
lature, you  allude  to  the  decennial  increase  of  the  population  of  the  United 
States  since  171)0,  as  averaging  about  U3J  percent.,  and  also  to  the  number  of 
emigrants  who  have  come  to   tliis  country  of  late  years.     It  is  clear  to  my 
mind  that  our  country  has  been  indebted  to  emigration  from  foreign  coun- 
tries tor  one  fourth  to  one-third  of  this  increase,  especially  for  the  lust  :20 
years.     During  the  25  years  from  1825  to   1840,  according  to    Jie  returns 
printed  by  order  of  Parliament,  a  copy  of  which  for  1847,  1848,  and  18"*'* 
1  have  just  received  from  Mr.  Lawrence,  there  emigrated  from  the  United 
Kingdom   2,285,i85   persons,  of  1,260,247    were  destined   for  the    United 
States,  and  808,740  for  the  British  North  American  Provinces.     It  is  stat- 
ed in   Lord   Durham's  Report  in  1839,  that,  of  the  emigrants  destined  for 
these  Provinces,  probably  GO  per  rent,  go  into  the  States;  and  this  estimate 
is  supported  by  consideration':  not  there   alluded  to.     Maine  and   the  other 
Atlantic  States  are  the  first  to  receive  most  of  the  emigrants  from  on  ship- 
board, of  whom  a  lar  »e  portion  remain   in  these   States,  and  the    >st  pass 
into  the  interior  of  the  country      How  great  the  foreign  element  in  Maine 
is,  I  am  unable  to  say;  but   I  should  not  be  surprised  tG  learn  that  50,000 
have  been  added  to  your  population  by   foreign  Immigration   since  June  1 
1840.     The  increase  of  the  p:)pulation  of  Massachusetts  from  1840  to  1850, 
has  been  about  240,000;  for  one  half  of  whon.  I  am  sure  we  are  indebted  to 


72 

foreigners    who  have  come  among  u»   during  the    timn.     Pleaie  accept  a 

copy  of '•  Immigration  into  the   United  Statci,  "   and  present    my  compli' 

mcntg  to  the  Committee. 

Yours,  Respectfully, 

JESSE  CHICKERING. 


From  Prof.  Champlin,  of  Waterville  College. 


Watebvillk  College, 
July  30,  1850. 

Sir  :  —  Your  note  of  invitation  to  attend  the  Railway  Convention  to  be 
holden  in  Portland  on  the  Slst  inst.,  with  the  accompanying  Circular  and 
Report,  is  at  hand.  I  regret  that  my  engagements  are  such  as  not  to  allow 
ine  to  comply  with  the  invitation  of  your  Committee.  Few  things  would 
give  me  more  pleasure  than  to  be  present  on  so  interesting  and  stirring  an 
occasion.  I  have  watched  with  lively  interest, the  progress  of  the  Railroad 
enterprise  in  this  State.  It  began  late,  but  has  progressed  thus  far  by  ma- 
jestic strides.  Indeed,  this  seems  to  be  the  character  of  the  enterprise  in 
this  State.  It  is  marked  by  grander  features  than  in  any  other  State  of  the 
Union.  It  oims  at  connecting  not  only  different  States,  but  different 
Countries,  and,  as  I  might  say,  different  Continents  even.  Already  has  it 
invaded  the  British  dominions  at  one  extremity,  and  is  now  pointing  with 
unmistakable  indexes  to  the  other, — aye,  and  to  the  mother  country,  too. — 
As  to  the  practicability,  in  detail,  of  that  great  branch  of  the  enterprise 
which  is  to  come  before  your  Convention,  I,  of  course,  am  not  a  judge.  I 
can  only  say,  that  it  appears  highly  plausible,  and  is  characterized  by 
great  simplicity. 

With  great  respect,  1  have  the  honor  to  be 

Your  Obedient  Servant, 

J.  T.  CHAMPLIN. 
To   J.  A.  Poor,  "i 

C.  Q..   Clapp,      >  Comntiltee, 
A.  Haines,  &c.  j 


Mr.  Poor  announced  that  he  had  also  received  letters  from  a 
large  number  of  other  gentlemen  from  various  parts  of  the  country, 
all  concurring  in  expressions  of  good  will,  and  many  of  them  of  en- 
tire confidence  in  the  practicability  of  the  scheme,  and  among  them 
from  the  following  gentlemen,  but  time  would  not  permit  him  to  read 
them. 

P.  P.  F.  Degrand,  Boston. 
Prof  Lovering,  Cambridge. 
Sol.  Adams,  Boston. 


78 

Hon.  F.  H.  Morse,  Mayor  of  Bath. 

Hon.  Ruel  Williams,  Preiident  Kennebec  and  Portland  Railroad. 

Hon.  Nathan  Hale. 

E.  Fairbanlis,  Esq.,  President  Connecticut  and  Pa«guin|)gic  Railroad. 

Hon.  Judge  Follett,  President  Burlington  and  Rutland  Railroad. 

Hon.  James  Brooks,  M.  C. 

T.  Parsons,  Law  Professor,  &.C.,  Cambridge. 

Prof.  A.  D.  Bache,  of  the  U.  S.  Coast  Survey. 

Mayor  of  Montreal. 

Hon.  Robert  H.  Gardiner. 

Prof  J.  H.  Coffin,  National  Observatory,  Washington. 

Nathan  Appleton,  Esq.,  Boston. 

George  F  Houghton,  St.  Albans,  Vt. 

Mayor  of  Quebec. 

Board  of  Trado  of  Quebec. 

Board  of  Trade  of  Montreal. 

E.  C.  Herrick,  Esq.,  of  New  Haven. 

F.  B.  Hayes,  Esq.,  of  Boston. 

A.  A.  Lawrence,  Esq.,  of  Boston. 

Prof.  Allen,  of  Providence. 

Hon.  George  Evans. 

Prof.  Cleaveland,  of  Bowdoin  College. 

Prof.  Beck,  of  Albany,  New  York. 

Hon.  T.  A.  Stayner,  Postmaster  General  of  Canada. 

Daniel  Ullma.i,  Esq.,  of  New  York  City. 

S.  Raymond  Lee,  Esq.,  of  Massachusetts;  and  very  many  others. 


The  following  letters,  subsequently  received,  are  regarded  by  the 
Committee  as  of  sufficient  interest  and  importance  to  justify  their 
intention  in  the  published  proceedings  of  the  Convention,  without 
Intending  to  express  any  particular  opinion  upon  any  of  the  peculiar 
views  expressed  by  the  writers. 

From  J.  J.  RoGERSON,  Esq.,  a  distinguished  merchant  of  St.  Johns> 
Newfoundland,  who  was  one  day  in  attendance,  but  left  without  an 
opportunity  being  offered,  for  him  to  address  the  Convention. 

Portland,  July  21,  1850. 

Dear  Sib  :— By  making  St.  Johns,  Newfoundland,  your  calling  port, 
you  can  leave  Gal  way  with  considerable  less  coal,  —  your  Boat  will  be 
I'ghter,  and  she  will  steam  faster,  and  make  the  voyage  in  one  to  two  days 


74 


m 


less  time.  You  will  iiave  more  room  to  carry  dry  goods,  which  payg  well, 
and  1  presume  large  quantities  will  be  shipped  by  this  route  fur  Canadsi 
the  Slates  and  Lower  Provinces. 

You  will  get  your  coal  at  St.  Johns  at  near  Halifax  price,  about  7s 
$1  40  freight,  per  ton,  from  Cape  Breton,  cost  16a  6d  a  I8s  per  chaldrom 
there,  equal  to  14  toil.  St.  John's  Harbor  lies  at  the  ocean,  five  minjiites 
from  the  entrance  and  the  ocean,  takes  you  to  the  wharves.  The  entrance 
is  free  from  danger,— no  rocks,  shoals,  &c.,  two  good  lights  on  heads  (at 
the  South  Head,  one,  other  on  Cape  Spear.)  The  Cunard  Steamers  sight 
our  coast  about  Cape  Oroyle,  or  Cape  Race  (about  30  or  40  miles  from  St. 
Johns)  on  their  passage  to  Halifax. 

Some  Springs,  about  the  middle  of  March  to  15th  of  April,  our  shore  is 
ice  bound,  and  it  extends  to  the  southward  of  Canso,  beside  the  quantity 
from  and  in  the  Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence.  In  that  case,  the  vessel  should  go 
to  Portland,  direct.  The  Cunard  Steamers  are  often  obliged  to  go  to  the 
southward  of  Halifax  before  they  get  round  it  to  get  into  Halifav.  St. 
Johns  lies  560  miles  from  Halifax,  360  from  Sydney,  about  1600  miles  from 
Galway. 

We  export  annually  from  4  to  5  millions  dollars  worth  of  cod  fish,  her- 
ring, salmon,  seal  skins,  furs,  seal  oil,  cod  oil,  cod  liver  oil,  blubber  &c.  t&c, 
shipped  to  Great  Britain,  Brazils,  West  Indies,  Portugal,  Spain,  Itnlyi 
States,  &c.  Import  100,000  barrels  flour,  25,000  do.  corn  meal,  8000  cwt. 
bread,  15,000  bis.  pork,  6  to  10,000  cwt.  beef,  besides  5  to  7000  horned 
cattle  ;  butter  15  to  20,000  cwt.,  8000  hds.  molasses,  «&c.,  &c.,  in  all  about 
4  millions  dollars  annually.  Population  about  100,000  —  30,000  of  which 
are  in  Saint  Johns  —  the  capital  of  the  Island. 

A  large  amouni  of  Tonnage  is  owned  in  our  trade,  and  vessels  are  arri- 
ving and  sailing  all  the  winter,  and  seldom  kept  back  by  the  ice.  Oc- 
casionly  a  thin  ice,  is  made  in  our  harbor,  but  nothing  to  obstruct  a  sea- 
going steamer.  Yours  Respectfully, 

JAS.  J.  ROGERSON. 
John  A.  Poor,  Esq.,  Portland. 


From  B.  H,  Latrobe,  Esq.,  Chief  Engineer  of  the  Baltimore 

and  Ohio  Railroad. 

Baltimore,  August  4th,  1850. 

To  John  A.  Poor,  Esq.,  Portland,  Maine. 

Dear  Sir  — 1  received  on  my  return  from  the  West  within  a  few  days, 
your  letter  of  invitation  to  the  Railway  Convention,  assembled  to  promote 
the  establishment  of  a  line  of  railway  connexion  between  Maine  and  the 
British  Provinces,  to  the  East  of  that  State. 

1  feel  flattered  by  the  compliment  of  this  invitation,  to  accept  it  would 
have  given  me  sincere  pleasure  ;  but  my  engagements  here,  even  had  1 
received  your  letter  in  time,  would  have  made  my  attendance  impossible. 


75 

With  my  beet  wiahes  for  the  Buccess  of  your  groat  and  most  meritorious 
enterprise,  I  beg  you  and  liio  Committee  for  whom  you  iiave  acted  in  the 
courtesy  offered  me,  tojbelieve  me  with  great  respect. 

Your  and  their  obedient  Servant, 

BENJ.  H.  LATROBE. 


From  the  Rev.  Dr.  Cahruthers,  of  Portland  : 

Portland,  August  5th,  1850. 

Mv  Dear  Sir,— I  exceedingly  regaet  that  a  College  engagement  in 
another  State  on  the  3Ist  ult.,  prevented  my  attendance  on  the  late  Con- 
vention in  this  city,  to  which  you  and  the  other  members  of  the  Committee 
did  me  the  honor  to  invite  me.  I  have  read,  with  the  deepest  interest,  the 
published  proceedings  of  the  Convention,  and  have  forwarded  the  "  Daily 
Advertiser,", for  Wednesday,  and  the  two  following  days  of  last  week,  to 
the  enlighenad  editor  of  the  "British  Banner,"  together  with  the  able 
pampelet  which  you  sent  me,  and  for  which  please  accept  my  thanks.  Dr. 
Campbell,  as  you  are  aware,  wields  a  pen  of^reat  power,  and  the  influence 
of  his  paper  is  felt  in  all  the  British  Colonies.  You  and  the  other  prsjeo- 
tors  of  this  noble  enterprise,  have  doubtless  laid  your  account  with  opposi- 
tion —  which,  indeed,  is  probably  essential  to  its  ultimate  success.  There 
are  certain  members  of  the  British  aristocracy,  who  will  probably  aid  the 
enterprise  in  this  way,  and  interpose  some  vaticinary  allusions  to  its  prob- 
able influence  on  the  quf>ation  of  British  supremacy.  But  the  British 
■proper  will  be  with  you,  and,  if  kept  well  informed  as  to  your  movements' 
will  effectually  counteract  by  their  approval  and  co-operation,  the  hostility 
of  the  few  whose  hereditary  rule,  and  "  vested  rights"  may  seem  to  be  en- 
dangered by  this  gigantic  undertaking 

Accept,  Dear  Sir,  my  thanks  for  your  courtesy,  and  believe  me, 

Yours,  very  respectfully, 

J.  J.  CARRUTHERS. 

J.  A.  Poor,  Esq. 


From  Hon.  R.  J.  Walker,  of  Mississippi,  late  Secretary  of  tho 
United  States  Treasury. 

SCHOOLIYS'    MoUWTAlN,    N.    J., 

August  9th,  1850. 
Sir:  Tor.r  letter  of  the  f32d  of  July,  addressed  to  me  at  Washington 
City,  reached  me  yesterday  at  this  place.  It  was  therefore  not  in  ray  power 
to  comply  with  the  request  made  by  the  Committee  in  your  name,  to  atti  iid 
and  address  the  Convention  held  at  Portland,  on  the  31th  ult.,  with  a  view 
to  the  continuation  of  the  great  Eastern  Railway,  from  your  city  to  some 
point  in  Nova  Scotia,  nearest  to  Great  Britain  and  Ireland.  This  would 
indeed  be  a  work  of  vast  importance,  not  only  to  your  own  State  and  city 


76 


'1 


to  Nova  Scotia  ind  Now  Oruniwick,  but  to  the  wliolc  American  Union, 
and  In  nil  the  conlinonti  of  the  old  worlil.  It  is  hoped,  with  the  improve- 
ments now  be\nfr  made  in  steamerit,  it  might  bring  lome  good  harbor  in 
Ireland  within  five  daya  of  our  American  shorea.  It  would  greatly  enlarge 
inter-national  cummercc,  and  become  a  new  bond  to  preserve  tiie  peace  of 
the  world.  Il  would  mcrease  our  exports  to  the  British  Provinces  and  to 
Europe,  with  a  corresponding  augmentation  of  imports  and  revenue.  It 
would  bring  Europe  so  near  to  America,  that  it  would  greatly  facilitate  the 
export  and  diffusion  abroad,  of  our  republican  principles,  without  any  dim- 
inution or  deterioration  of  the  supply  left  fur  domestic  consumption.  It 
would  hasten  the  Americanization  of  New  Brunswick  and  Nova  Scotia, 
and  ante-date  the  period  when  both  those  provinces,  with  their  own  cheer- 
ful assent,  and  that  of  Great  Britain  and  this  government,  would  fulfil 
their  destiny,  by  becoming  State?  of  the  American  Union.  It  would  greot- 
ly  facilitate  and  increase  the  intercourse,  as  well  as  commerce  between 
the  old  and  new  world.  It  would  vastly  augment  emigration  from  Europe 
to  America,  with  a  corresponding  increase  of  wealth  and  capital. 

I  cannot  doubt  but  that  the  present  enlightened  ministry  of  Greut  Britain, 
the  great  advocates  of  a  liberal  commercial  policy,  will  aid  this  noble  en- 
terprise ;  that  our  government  will  extend  to  it  all  proper  facilities  by 
mail  arrangements  and  otherwise,  and  that  the  rest  will  be  accomplished 
by  the  well-known  energy  of  New  Englgnd,  aided  by  the  co-operation  of 
Nova  Scotia  and  New  Brunswick. 

From  the  increased  speed,  it  seems  to  mc  that  the  mail  and   passengers, 

between  both  countries  must  generally  be  carried  by  this  route,  as  also 

light  articles  of  great  value. 

With  great  regard,  I  have  the  honor  to  be, 

Your  Ob't.  Servant, 

R.  J.  WALKER. 
John  A.  Pook,  Esq.,  Portland,  Me. 


William  Watts,  Esq.,  of  Fredrickton,  was  then  called  up- 
on to  address  the  Convention. 

Mr.  Watts  said  he  was.  taken  by  surprise,  and  until  the  bu.sines3  committee 
should  report  some  distinct  propositions  for  discussion,  he  would  be  excused  from 
saying  anything  except  in  the  most  general  terms  of  congratulation.  But  if  a 
warm  and  hearty  interest  in  the  furtherance  of  the  project  in  view,  could  induce 
a  good  speech,  he  ought  to  make  one.  It  was  an  unusual  occasion  that  had 
brought  us  together.  It  was  an  extension  of  the  right  hand  of  fellowship  from 
the  people  of  Mume,  to  those  of  a  foreign  power.  It  was  the  commencement  of 
a  series  of  good  offices,  as  he  trusted,  between  the  people  of  all  these  United 
States, — of  old  England  and  her  Colonies. 

Though  among  strangers,  he  felt  at  home  when  he  sa\v  his  country's  flag  peud- 


t 


77 

in(;  in  the  hall  Ma  by  that  nf  iIir  rnitml  HtnlPft.  Dut  hn  did  not  romn  to  rrpr^- 
m-nt  fhiit  flag, — he  rntiif  to  rt'prt-iti'nt  ii  ri'ding  ii"  lirrwd  im  iho  world  itirlf,  nnil 
hn  regnrdni  the  tlagM  of  (irt'tit  llrit.'iin  mid  the  (niti'd  StiilcH  n*  rfiiri'^i'Mling  (hr 
world,  lie  trustc<l  ihcy  wouid  never  wnvo  over  any  other  than  friendly  ht-artu, 
tluit  they  might  always  float  in  uninon  wherever  freednni  and  civilization  were 
known  and  und<>r!<ti)od. 

The  project  we  have  cotno  here  to  conHider  is  one  which  in  to  niako  New 
Oruiixwick  and  Nova  Srotia  the  pathway  of  imtionH.  I,i>t  um  make  our  path 
"straight."  Ili;  w:is  in  favor  of  one  continuous  line  of  Kailwiiy,  till  it  Hhould 
connect  with  the  shortest  line  of  steam  conuiiuniration,  which,  with  railway  and 
steamboat  i;^  to  circumscribe  the  world.  This  road  is  to  become  one  great  link  in 
that  line  of  communication,  by  which  the  thoughts,  the  persons  and  the  property 
of  till'  world  are  to  be  disseminated,  and  there  is  no  portion  of  thi;  eiirth  that  has 
not  some  interest  in  its  accomplishment.  In  conclusion,  he  would  say  u.s  did  the 
Baptist,  ".Make  the  paths  straight."  VVe  must  have  a  railway,  and  a  railway 
too,  by  land,  anc\  not  across  the  water. 

Mr.  Watts  said  he  liad  no  doubt  of  the  practicability  of  the  scheme,  if  the  de- 
liberations of  the  Convention  should  be  marked  by  a  just  appreciation  of  the 
merits  of  the  scheme,  and  he  doubted  not  that  before  the  Convention  should  sep- 
arate, that  such  an  impulse  would  be  given  to  it  as  would  satisfy  all  u|)on  this 
point.  With  allusions  to  the  interesting  circumstances  with  which  they  are  sur- 
rounded, and  the  auspicious  omens  on  every  hand  to  cheer  us  in  the  work,  and 
the  gratification  he  felt  in  being  allowed  to  ttikc  part  in  the  proceedings  of  the 
Convention,  Mr.  Watts  sat  down  amid  the  most  enthusiastic  cheers. 

He  was  followed  by  Ho.n.  J.  B.  Uniacke,  of  Halifax,  who, 
although  unexpectedly  called  upon,  made  a  speech  replete  with 
sound  and  practicable  arguments,  which  was  frequently  inter- 
rupted by  the  plaudits  of  t''o  Convention.  In  alluding  to  the 
British  and  American  ensi  which  were  draped  on  either  side 
of  th<>  President's  chair,  Uniacke  remarked  that  they  never 

ought  float  over  men  ol  r  xon  origin  in  any  other  way  than 
that  o!    unity. 

"This,''  said  he,  "is  the  ardent  wish  of  all  -d  iT'"n  on  both  sides  of  the  At- 
lantic," and,  said  he,  may  tbry  ever  thus  hang  logether  in  amity,  and  never  float 
over  hostile  sects  of  men.  To  the  Portlanders  he  gave  the  credit  of  havingorig- 
inated  this  great  movement,  but  assured  them  that  the  inhabitant-'  of  the  Provin- 
ces would  not  be  behind  in  aiding  carry  it  on  to  completion.  He  was  in  favor 
of  a  land  route,  and  having  decided  upon  the  best  route,  would  not  stop  to  in- 
quire the  expense,  but  regarding  it  as  a  national  highway,  wmildgo  on  and  build 
it.  The  object  is  to  unite  a  people  who  liave  got  separated  ,ind  who  are  deter- 
mined to  be  separated  until  they  conn'  to  their  senses,  and  then  they  will  set 
about  seeking  th^  nicns  of  reunion. 

He  viewed  this  a  rno:in8  to  connect  the  Provinces  with  Great  Britain,  as  well 


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23  WEST  MAIN  STREET 

WEBSTER,  ( I.  Y.  MS  SO 

1    !  ■»  >  872-4503 


78 

as  to  connect  cont'.npnts  and  countries  of  difTereni  and  independent  governnienta. 
So  it  muHt  be  viewed  * .  ''England  and  America. 

The  magnitude  of  tiic  work,  great  ns  it  was,  was  trifling  in  comparison  with 
'ta  importance,  and  with  th»t  impression  he  looked  for  support  and  countenance 
from  all  persons  who  sincerely  desired  peace,  and  the  best  interests  of  the  whole 
civilized  world.  In  the  course  of  his  remarks,  Mr.  I'niacke  alluded  to  the  near 
relation  of  our  own  with  the  mother  country,  in  terms  worthy  the  heart  of  a  pat- 
riot, a  stiitesmar  and  a  Christian — and  his  sentiments  met  with  a  most  enthusias- 
tic response  from  the  crowded  assembly. 

On  the  conclusion  of  his  remarks,  at  half  past  6  o'clock,  the  Convention  ad- 
journed till  9  o'clock  tomorrow  morning. 


THURSDAY,  AUGUST  1,  1850. 

[second  day.] 

The  Convention  met  at  9  o'clock,  pursuant  to  adjourument. — 
Mis  Exellenc}  Gov.  Hubbard  in  the  chair.  The  hall  was  more 
crowded  than  on  yesterday. 

The  committee  on  business  not  being  prepared  to  report,  the 
President  called  upon  John  Clark  Hall,  Esq. ,  M.  P.  P.  of  No- 
va Scotia,  to  address  the  Convention. 

Mr.  Hall  remarked  that  as  the  Committee  had  not  reported  their  doings  to  the 
meeting,  he  did  not  deem  it  his  duty  to  enter  into  the  general  merits  of  the  ques- 
tion, although  fully  prepared  to  do  so.  He  would,  therefore,  confine  himself  to 
a  view  of  tho  vast  importance  of  the  plan  proposed  to  be  accomplished.  It  is  a 
matter  of  pride  that  we  meet  for  this  grand  object,  which  has  for  its  aim  the 
amelioration  of  our  condition  as  a  people,  and  for  its  end  that  of  the  whole  hu- 
man family.  Mr.  Hall  expressed  in  glowmg  terms  the  pleasure  and  pride  he  ex- 
perienced in  meeting  on  so  interesting  an  occasion,  having  for  its  object  the  ad- 
vancement of  the  amelioration  of  the  human  race.  Britain  he  considered  the  par- 
ent— the  Provinces  the  chi'd — and  the  United  States  the  elder  brother.  Viewing 
them  in  these  relations,  he  dwelt  at  length  upon  the  ties  which  should  and  must 
bind  them  together,  commingling  their  interests,  and  uniting  them  in  the  bonds  of 
fraternal  unity  and  love.  The  objest  of  the  Provinces,  he  said,  was  not  in 
this  work,  to  estrange  themselves  from  their  mother  country,  or  their  fealty  to  the 
Crown,  but  to  show  that  they  could  do  something  for  themselves — and  to  endeav- 
or to  attain  that  higher  position  wliich  t)ie  elder  brother  has  attained, — and  far- 
ther, so  that  if  the  fostering  care  of  the  parent  should  ever  be  -withdrawn,  to  cul- 
tivate such  terms  of  intimacy  with  the  brother,  that  the  younger  child  might  look 
to  him  for  advice  and  assistance — at  all  events,  they  would  aim  not  to  disgrace 
the  one,  while  they  attempted  to  emulate  the  virtues  of  the  other. 


79 


People  who  speak  o  romnion  'angunge  cannot  full  to  l)«come  one  in  Hcntiniont, 
in  feeling,  nml  in  action.  We  all  speak  the  goinl  oM  F'ngli.sh  tonf,'ue.  We  have 
the  same  religion,  the  name  laws  and  the  same  literature.  We  all  in  common 
have  the  poetry  and  the  language  of  Milton  and  of  Shakespeare,  and  in  connec- 
tion he  ref(!rred  to  the  energy  of  the  Ha.vori  race, which  triumphed  liefore  the  walls 
at  Monterey,  as  at  Agincoi'rt,  a.id  at  ('res.sy. 

Our  purpose  is  to  draw  two  great  people  togf  tlier  hy  a  closer  cord,  who  have 
been  estranged,  to  a  certain  extent,  until  the  present  time;  we  meet  for  the  pur- 
pose of  drawing  together  alFections  which  ought  never  to  have  be<!n  separateiL 

lie  then  inquiri^d,  what  has  rai.sed  your  country  to  its  high  position  .'  The  an- 
swer he  found  in  your  noble  system  of  free  schools,  and  the  provision  made  for 
every  child  to  prepare  himself  for  the  highe.-,:  po.sts  of  honor  in  the  nation.  The 
great  element  of  the  prosperity  of  the  States,  said  Mr.  Hall,  is  not  traceable  di- 
rectly to  your  railroads  or  jour  factories.  The  school  system,  is  the  source  of 
New  England  power.  I'very  one  is  taught  to  know  who  he  is,  and  what  bis  r(!- 
sponsibilitics  are.  The  knowledge  that  the  New  England  people  possess  is  that 
which  constitutes  her  power — gives  energy  to  her  mind,  vigor  to  her  thought,  and 
renders  her  equal  to  meet  every  emergency  and  to  overcome  every  obstacle. — 
Every  child  is  brought  up  to  know  that  he  must  curve  out  his  own  fortune,  with 
tlie  lively  hope  that  he  may  elevate  himself  even  to  the  occupancy  of  the  proud- 
est position  in  the  gift  of  the  people.  It  is  f-jr  these  reasons  that  he  approbated 
this  magnificent  Railroad  scheme.  By  it,  he  expected  an  impulse  would  be  given 
to  the  people  of  the  Provinces,  and  lead  them  to  attempt  to  rival  their  more  pros- 
perous neighbors. 

lie  then  alluded  to  the  manner  in  which  this  project  had  been  undertaken. 

Whoever  was  the  originator  of  this  great  enterprise  has  so  far  achieved  for 
himself  a  name  that  cannot  be  forgotten.  The  time  is  past,  said  Mr.  Hall,  when 
in  any  country  war  is  to  be  used  for  the  purposes  of  aggression ;  and  when  he 
heard  the  President  of  the  Convention  approach  tliis  topic  in  so  eloquent  and  dig- 
nified a  manner,  it  seemed  to  him  we  were  approaching  that  consummation  which 
the  prophet  had  in  view,  when  men  should  learn  war  no  more.  Peace,  meek- 
eyed  peace,  is  the  happiness  of  nations  and  the  glory  of  God.  Througii  peacefu) 
achievments  your  improvements  will  go  un,  your  agriculture  will  flourbh  until 
the  United  States  becomes  ; 

"The  exhauatless  granary  of  the  world." 

He  would  conclude,  by  saying,  that  the  subject  was  so  vast,  that  pha^e  af- 
ter phase  presented  itself  before  the  idea  which  they  give  rise  to,  could  be  ut- 
tered. He  would,  therefore,  remark  that  wherever  Xhn  Railroad  should  be  loca- 
ted, by  the  wisdom  of  the  Convention,  he  would  bid  it  Gcd  speed.  By  estab- 
lishing new  sources  of  intercommunication,  he  hoped  to  see  his  own  native  coun- 
try taking  more  rapid  strides  in  the  pathway  of  progress.  He  alluded  to  the  ma- 
tual  friendliness  existing  between  the  two  countries,  which,  cementini  by  inter- 
marriages among  their  respective  citizens,  &c.,  was  daily  becaming  stronger,  and 
congratulated  the  assemblage  on  the  prospect  now  dawning  of  riveting  them  to- 
gether by  iron  clasps. 

Mr.  Hall  took  his  seat  amidst  deafening  demonatiations  of  applause. 


w 


80 

John  Appleton,  Esq  ,  being  called  upon,  responded  ivith  be- 
coming courtesy,  to  the  sentiments  uttered,  in  behalf  of  his  fel- 
low citizens,  and  addressed  the  Convention  in  substance  as  fol- 
lows ; 

The  excitement  and  intercBt  of  the  Convention  carried  his  thoughts  back  a  few 
years  to  a  period  when  there  were  no  railroads  in  Maine,  and  when  a  little  com- 
pany of  persons  met  together  in  a  chamber  of  the  Exchange  to  consider 
the  practicability  of  the  Atlantic  and  St.  Lawrence  Rrailroad.  He  well  remem- 
bered the  doubts  and  fears  which  then  threatened  to  prevent  the  commencement 
of  that  great  enterprise,  and  how  its  magnitude  and  its  grandeur  almost 
deterred  men  from  venturing  upon  its  construction;  but  happily  the  project 
was  in  the  hands  of  those  who  possessed  energy  and  determination,  and  it  was 
not  therefore  suffered  to  fail.  It  is  now  beginning  to  speak  its  own  praises.  From 
that  perio<l  to  the  present,  it  has  been  struggling  nobly  on,  always  meeting  diffi- 
culies,  but  always  overcoming  them,  until  now  its  iron  arm  has  been  extended  to 
the  very  extremity  of  Oxford  County,  and  is  eagerly  reaching  forward  to  meet 
that  othei  arm  which  is  stretched  out  towards  it  from  the  market  place  of  Mon- 
treal. The  success  of  that  experiment  is  no  longer  doubtful,  and,  as  good  al- 
ways, begets  good,  other  enterprises  of  a  similar  character  have  followed  in  its 
train.  We  had  now  the  Androscoggin  road,  and  the  Kennebec  road,  and  the 
York  and  Cumberland  road,  all  born  of  the  Atlantic  road,  and  all  destined  to  do 
credit  to  their  parentage,  and  to  accomplish  valuable  results  for  the  State.  Still 
other  roads  had  been  confidently  projected,  and  Maine  had  now  fairly  entered 
upon  a  noble  system  of  public  improvements.  We  were  just  in  a  favorable  con- 
dition, therefore,  to  meet  our  friends  from  the  Provinces,  upon  the  subject  which 
had  occasioned  this  meeting,  and  by  nearly  exhausting  ourselves  with  previous 
enterprises,  we  had  given  ourselves  the  best  possible  preparation  for  a  new  work. 
Portland  would  lend  to  it  every  encouragement  within  her  power.  Her  own  ex- 
perience had  taught  her  how  resolution  and  perseverance  could  secure  success 
even  with  scanty  resources  and  feeble  means,  and  from  that  experience  she  was 
ready  to  kindle  at  this  time  fresh  zeal  and  courage  for  herself,  and  to  confirm  and 
strengthen  the  confident  anticipations  of  her  neighbors. 

He  then  spoke  of  the  value  of  the  proposed  road,  its  probable  advantages  to 
Maine  and  New  Brunswick  and  Nova  Scotia  had  been  already  sufficiently  de- 
monstrated by  the  eloquent  statistics  of  the  gentleman  from  Massachusetts.  He 
had  placed  vividly  before  our  eyes  the  wonder-working  process  by  which  improv- 
ed communications  beget  new  settlements  and  increased  business  all  along  their 
lines,  and  had  taught  us  with  what  certainty  we  might  expect  similar  results  from 
our  proposed  enterprise.  But  this  was  no  State  work.  It  did  not  aim  to  unite 
towns  and  cities  and  Commonwealths,  but  to  connect  hemispheres.  And  this  it 
expected  to  do,  by  bringing  more  closely  together  the  two  great  Anglo-Saxon  na- 
tions of  the  world.  Great  Britain  and  the  United  States  possess  together  a  pow- 
er which  can  defy  resistance.  They  rejoice  in  the  same  common  origin,  and 
feel  coursing  through  their  veins  the  same  master  blood.  Their  arms  and  their 
energy  have  hitherto  proved  overmatches  for  any  competition,  and  it  is  only  when 


81 


they  meet  each  othrr  that  victory  ho^sitate^  to  ilfclare  ilj*elf.  But  he  preferretl  to 
conteiiiiilute  them,  not  u-f  warrior  nations  Htruggling  to  extend  their  riiipreninry, 
but  as  peaceful  iniHiiioiiaries  rather,  engaged  in  the  civilization  and  iuipro\etueiit 
of  mankind.  For  these  objectii  what  have  they  not  done  already?  \Vho  can 
calculate  the  inipul.-iu  whirli  hn^  heen  given  to  the  world  by  their  united  efforts  : 
They  are  inspired  alike  by  the  language  of  Shakespeare,  and  have  learned 
the  same  lessons  from  the  laws  of  Alfred;  and  if  the  one  is  the  most  republican 
of  the  nations  of  Ihe  earth,  the  other  is  the  freest  monarchy  in  Christendom.  The 
events  of  the  la.st  few  years  had  increased  his  respect  for  the  Mriiish  Cioveri;- 
inent.  He  had  seen  it  standing  firm  amidiit  the  convulsions  of  F.urope,  Ix-causc 
it  hdd  known  how  to  conform  its  actions  in  a  great  measure,  to  the  demands  ainl 
wishes  of  its  people.  It  had  conceded  reforms,  while  yet  concession  was  in  its 
power.  Other  thrones  had  been  shaken  by  the  obsliitacy  of  their  occupants,  but 
that  of  England  remained  firm,  because  it  gradually  became  liberal.  In  other 
nations  revolutions  had  been  by  battle  and  the  sword,  but  in  Englaiid  the  revolu- 
tion in  favor  of  freedom  had  been  none  the  less  certain,  because  it  had  been  a 
revolution  of  peace.  And  now  we  desired  to  connect  more  closely  the  American 
R'epublic  and  the  British  Monarchy — to  bring  more  nearly  together  the  chief  seats 
of  commerce  in  the  old  world  and  the  new — to  auiuhilate  hundreds  of  miles  of 
distance  between  Liverpool  and  New  York — and  thus  to  add  to  the  commercial 
advantages  and  the  civilizing  power  of  each  country.  The  gentleman  who  pre- 
ceded him,  (Mr.  Hall)  had  anticipated  this  connection  in  language  of  eloquent 
congratulation.  In  the  name  of  his  fellow-citizens  of  Portland  he  felt  call:''' 
upon  to  respond  to  those  congratulations  with  the  warmest  fouling  and  the  most 
hearty  emphasis.  (Cheers.)  We  rejoice,  he  said,  to  meet  our  brethren  from  the  adja- 
cent Provinces,  and  to  consult  with  them  upon  our  mutual  interests.  Providence 
decreed  their  lines  of  life  upon  the  same  continent  with  us,  and  in  all  good  neigh- 
had  borhood,  he  hoped  we  were  about  beginning  together  a  new  and  better  career 
of  improvement  and  prosperity.  We  had  hitherto  been  comparatively  strangers, 
but  we  hoped  now  to  join  iron  bands  together  and  so  to  establish  a  connection,  that 
hereafter,  we  can  never  be  anything  else  than  acquaintances  and  friends.  If  in 
our  institutions  our  visitors  have  found  anything  at  all  worthy  of  their  imitation 
at  home,  we  on  the  other  hand  have  lohrned,  by  what  we  have  seen  and  heard 
to-day,  to  estimate  at  no  small  value,  those  regions  east  of  us  which  can  furnish 
so  generous  and  able  and  elo'  lent  a  representation  as  that  wlii':h  has  animated 
and  cheered  this  meeting.  We  desire  to  know  more  intimately  the  peoi)li»  who 
are  able  to  send  abroad  such  specimens  as  these,  and  we  reciprocate  with  our 
whole  hearts  all  their  kind  expressions  of  courtesy  and  respect.  And  why  should 
we  not  be  friends  ?  Different  Hags  float  over  us;  but  they  fiout  no  longer  in  war, 
but  in  friendly  rivalry  and  honorable  competition.  We  live  under  different  (iov- 
emments;  but  they  are  Governments,  alike  in  origin,  similar  in  laws,  and  becom- 
ing constantly  more  nearly  connected  in  business  relations,  and  in  their  general 
influence  upon  mankind.  Together,  their  mission  has  been,  and  is  and  must  be 
a  mission  of  civilization  and  improvement.  Their  ships  go  everywhere,  and 
wherever  they  go  they  carry  with  them  the  seeds  of  knowledge  and  the  religion 
of  the  Bible  ;  and  by  their  steamboats  and  railways  they  literally  almost  girdle 
U 


82 


thf!  earth  with  infliionros  for  good.  With  thii<  ontorprisB  roniplotwl,  nnd  our 
overland  road  to  the  I'arific  nrcoinpllshfHl,  what  n  glorious  rirrln  of  di^tanrn  !<hall 
we  he  ahle  to  purine,  when  w«'.  take  the  Hteaiiihoat  froin  Han  Franrisrolo  f'hinn, 
and  tlu'iK'i-  follow  an  uninterrupted  line  of  Hteaiii  eoinniuiiieation,  until  we  find 
oiirHelvett,  after  having  touched  at  l/iverpind  and  New  York,  safely  hack  against 
tl)e  point  from  which  we  started  I  What  invention  then  can  he  monopolized  ? — 
What  viihiahle  thought  ronfined  to  u  Hingh;  nation  ?  Kverylhing  uxeful  to  the 
world  niustt  then  he  employed  for  the  goml  of  the  world,  and  there  is  no  Japan  or 
(.'eleslial  City  which  can  long  resist  it«  power.     (Chfiers.) 

It  is  towards  such  a  consummation  that  we  would  make  this  enterprise  contri- 
bute. .And  let  no  man  douhl  that  it  is  practinahle.  The  day  of  things  imprncti- 
cahle  has  passed  away.  We  live  in  times  when  no  object  should  seem  startling, 
and  iill  distances  can  he  safely  defied.  It  's  not  long  since  scien  e  itself  declared 
that  the  ocean  could  not  Iks  ust'luliy  navigated  by  steam,  and  those  v.ho  engnge<l 
in  the  experiment  to  do  so,  pursued  their  way  under  great  discouragements,  nnd 
against  many  dou'its.  But  now  every  steamer  as  she  takes  her  weekly  depart- 
ure from  England  and  .America,  breathes  indignant  contempt  for  any  such  pre- 
diction, and  goes  careering  against  wind  and  storm  across  the  Atlantic,  as  ifrnws 
strikingly  to  display  her  pow.  r,  and  more  signally  to  honor  those  who  were  wil- 
ling first  to  trust  it.  The  Atlantic  Ferry  is  now  a  fixed  fact  ;  and  it  only  remains 
for  us  to  use  it  to  the  best  advantage — or  in  other  words,  to  make  it  as  short  &g 
possible.  This  we  propose  to  do  by  a  railroad  to  Cape  Canso.  There  we  find 
Uie  nearest  point  of  communication  with  (Jreat  Britain.,  and  there  consequently 
nature  has  pointed  out  to  commerce  the  proper  point  for  connecting  the  two  na- 
tions. The  importance  of  the  connection  is  itself  a  pledge  that  the  connection 
will  be  made.  What  the  leading  countries  of  Europe  and  America  desire  to  have, 
they  will  not  fail  sooner  or  later  to  secure.  The  work  is  eminently  a  national 
work,  and  we  have  a  right  therefore  to  ask  the  means  for  its  completion,  in  every 
connnercial  city  of  Great  Britain  and  the  United  States.  Let  us  not8hr.ii..,then, 
from  its  prosecution,  but  proportion  rather  the  strength  of  our  zeal,  to  the  grun- 
di;ur  of  the  undertaking  we  propose,  and  thus  prepare  ourselves  to  carry  it  for- 
wanl  to  ii  successful  accomplishment.  In  this  age  of  the  world,  no  man  has  a 
right  to  deny  his  efforts  towards  the  improvement  of  his  race.  He  owes  a  duty 
not  only  to  himself  and  to  his  family,  but  to  his  country,  and  mankind.  And 
"lovidence  haa  wisely  ordered  it  that  these  duties  are  never  likely  to  war  togeth- 
er.    The  lesson  t.f  poetry  accords  with  the  lesson  of  experience — 

"This  above  all:     To  tliino  own  self  be  true, 
And  it  must  follow,  as  llie  iiiglil  the  day, 
Tbou  CBiisi  not  then  be  falxe  to  any  man." 

This  was  the  first  time  that  Maine  and  the  lower  Provinces  had  met  in  Council. 
Let  us  hope  that  it  will  not  be  the  last;  hut  that  they  may  long  continue  to  inter- 
change not  only  the  products  of  business  relations,  hut  kindness,  also,  and  cour- 
tesv,  and  cordial  esteem,  until  they  shall  hardly  he  able  to  realize  that  they  are 
not  citizens  of  the  same  country,  and  bound  by  allegiance  to  the  same  Govern- 
ment.    {Long  and  rupturous  applause.) 


83 


for- 

has  a 

duty 

And 

ogeth- 


While  Mr.  Apim  ton  was  spraking.  the  Committee  on  Ruai- 
nc33  camo  in,  and  at  the  conclusion  of  his  remarka,  the  cheers 
that  foIh>we(l,  told  how  heartily  all  present  concurred  in  his  sen- 
timents. 

Hon.  L.  A.  Wilmot  Attorney  General  of  N.  B.  and  Chair- 
man of  the  Business  Committee,  repotted,  "That  by  virtue  of 
power  delegated  to  them,  the  Committee  had  added  to  their 
numhcrs,  J.  1).  Frazicr,  Esq.,  M.  P.  P.,  of  Windsor,  Nova  Sco- 
tia, Hon.  W.  B.  S.  Moor,  of  Bangor,  Hastings  Strickland,  Esq., 
of  Bangor;  and  that  the  gentlemen  named  had  taken  part  in  the 
proceedings  of  the  Committee.'" 

The  Hon.  gentleman  then  submitted  to  the  Convention,  in  be- 
half of  the  Committee,  the  following 

REPORT. 

The  Committee  to  report  on  the  business  cf  the  Convention, 
have  prepared  the  following  Resolutions,  which  they  respectful- 
ly submit: 

Resolved,  Ist.  That  the  spirit  of  the  Age  and  the  progress  of  modern  improve- 
ment, demand  the  most  rapid  andcertiiin  means  ofintercommunicution  between  tho 
people  of  the  Old  World  and  those  of  the  New. 

P.csoVjed,  2d.  That  this  object  can  behest  elfected  by  the  construction  of  a  line 
of  railway,  leading  from  the  great  seats  of  population  and  business  in  the  United 
States  and  Canada,  through  Maine  and  the  Province  of  New  lirunswick  to  some 
convenient  Port  on  the  Atlantic  coast  of  Nova  Scotia. 

Resolved,  3d.  As  the  firm  and  deliberate  opinion  of  this  Convention,  that  the 
time  lias  arrived  when  the  construction  of  such  a  line  of  railway  s'lould  be  com- 
menced, and  that  it  should  be  designated  The  European  and  North 
American  Railway. 

Resolved,  4th.  That  this  great  Railway,  coDn3cted  as  it  will  be  with  Ocean 
Steam  Navigation  and  the  railway  systems  of  the  whole  of  Kurope  and  America, 
which  traverse  Empires,  Kingdoms,  Colonies  and  Stiites  for  the  advantage  of  all, 
deserves  to  be  regarded,  not  by  t'.ie  commercial  world  alone,  but  by  the  States- 
man, the  Lawgiver,  and  the  Philanthropist,  as  one  of  the  greatest  links  in  that 
mighty  chain  which  is  fast  encircling  the  whole  earth,  strengthening  the  bands  of 
brotherhood  and  Christian  fellowship,  multiplying  the  ties  of  lineage,  and  helping 
to  constitute  of  all  mankind,  but  one  great  Commonwealth  of  Nations. 

Resolved,  5th.  That  as  a  network  of  railways  now  overspreads  a  great  portion 
of  the  United  States  and  theCanadas,  and  extends  from  the  Far  WesJ  to  the  val- 
ley of  the  Kennebec  in  one  unbroken  and  continuous  line,  it  is  expedient  the 
European  and  North  American  Railway  should  consist  of  an  uninterrupted  line  of 
communication  by  land  from  the  valley  of  the  Kennebec  eastwardly  through  New 
Brunswick  to  the  EusVern  Coast  of  Nova  Scotia  from  whence  the  Ocean  may  be 


84 

cro««od  by  Hteainahips  to  the  U'e.nern  Coa«t  of  iroland,  as  the  shortest   Ferry 
acrotta  the  Atlnntic. 

Resolceil,  6th.  TImt  as  a  nieiinti  orcoiiiinuiiication  for  all  thiie  between  tlie  Na- 
tions of  I'.uropi!,  and  l!io  wiiole  of  North  America,  this  Railway  should  he  built  in 
a  durable  and  substantial  manner. 

RfsohC'l,  7lh.  That  by  shortening  the  time  of  transit  .icross  the  Atlantic  Ocean 
by  at  least  one-third,  the  entire  business  travel  between  Europe  and  America  will 
be  eventually  drawn  over  this  line  of  railway. 

RemlvcJ,  8th.  TI  tthe  through  business  which  the  proposed  line  of  railway  must 
command,  independently  of  way  and  local  triifiic,  will  render  it  a  most  profitable  un- 
dertaking and  cause  the  commercial  value  of  its  stock  to  be  equal  to  that  of  any 
railway  in  the  world. 

Resolved,  9th.  That  from  the  valley  of  the  Kennebec  in  Maine  to  the  Eastern 
terminus  on  the  Atlantic  coast  of  Nova  Scotia,  the  proposed  line  of  r.iilway  will 
traverse  a  country  abounding  in  natural  resources  and  possessing  all  tne  elements 
of  wealth  and  commercial  greatness  in  nn  unusual  degree  ;  that  although  now 
sparsel)'  populated,  this  line  of  country  under  railway  influence  will  soon  become 
densfily  peopled,  and  every  species  of  industry  will  be  called  into  existence  among 
its  inhabitants. 

Rexoiced,  10th.  Thr.t  this  Railway  demands  for  its  completion,  the  united  and 
vigorous  action  of  citizens  orthe  United  States — of  all  British  subjects — and  of  all 
who  desire  to  promote  agriculture,  connnerce,  manufactures,  and  the  progress  of 
the  arts  and  sciences  in  connection  with  the  firm  establishment  of  peace  and  good 
will  upon  Earth. 

Resolved,  11th.  That  the  State  of  Maine,  and  the  Provinces  of  New  Brunswick 
and  Nova  Scotia  shall  be  called  upon  to  grunt  concurrent  charters  for  the  incorpo- 
ration of  Companies  to  construct  the  proposed  Railway  from  the  valley  of  the 
Penobscot  to  the  eastern  terminus  in  Nova  Scotia. 

Resolved,  12th.  That  in  addition  to  individual  subscriptions  for  shares  in  the 
proposed  companies,  the  aid  of  the  public  lesources  of  Maine,  New  Brunswick 
and  Nova  Scotia,  shall  be  solicited  to  the  extent  of  one-half  the  cost  of  this  line  of 
Railway  ;  that  grants  of  the  public  lands  near  the  line,  shall  also  be  asked  ;  and 
that  the  Province  of  Canada  shall  also  be  solicited  to  contribute  towards  the  con- 
struction of  a  work  of  such  great  importance  to  its  public  and  private  interests. 

Resolved,  13th.  That  a  special  appeal  shall  be  made  to  the  stockholders  hi  all 
railroads  between  New  York  and  London,  for  aid  to  this  Railway,  which  to  them 
will  be  of  much  pecuniary  advantage,  by  promoting  an  endless  stream  of  travel 
and  traflic. 

Resolved,  14th.  That  application  shall  be  made  to  the  Governments  of  Great 
Britain  and  the  United  St;ites  resp<-ctively,  for  conditional  contracts  for  trasporting 
the  Eurjopean  and  North  American  iMails  over  this  railway,  for  a  long  period,  at 
r^.nunerating  rates. 

Resolved,  13th.  That  no  subscriptions  for  shares  shall  be  asked,  until  Acts  of 
Incorporation  are  first  secured,  and  the  necessary  aids  of  public  credit  and  of  the 
piiblic  lands  are  first  obtained. 


85 


Renolved,  IGili.  'I'linl  thi;  I.cgislaturr  nf  >fHin('  now  in  ftc+iion,  shall  Ikj  ciillml 
upon  to  grniit  a  Charter  forthwitli,  for  tho  iiicurporiitinii  of  a  r(mi[)aiiy  to  coiHtruft 
that  portion  of  the  line  between  the  valley  of  the  I'enohHCot  and  tho  Eastern 
Boiimlary  of  the  State. 

Resolved,  17th.  That  a  Central  I'xecutive  Committee  of  seven  (tliall  he  choaen 
for  carrying  out  the  various  nieasiircn  indicated  in  the  foregoing  resolutions,  and 
effecting  such  other  olyects  as  will  liest  ensure  the  spcetly  commencement  of  the 
work. 

Resolved,  18th.  That  the  Central  E.xecutive  Conmiittee  shall  nppoint  local 
Committees  along  the  proposed  line  to  correspond  with  the  Central  Conmiittee 
and  facilitate  the  progress  of  the  work. 

Resolved,  l!)th.  That  the  proceedings  of  this  Convention  shall  hi-  carefully 
and  authentically  drawn  up  and  published  in  convenient  form  for  general  circula- 
tion in  Europe  and  America. 

He  further  stated  that  an  amendment,  to  the  5th  resolution  had 
been  proposed  in  committee,  and  been  rejected,  by  a  majority  of 
the  committee,  and  that  by  unanimous  consent,  he  was  directed 
to  report  the  proposed  amendment  to  the  Convention,  in  order 
that  the  whole  subject  matter,  be  fairly  considered.  The  propos- 
ed amendment  was  in  the  words  following,  viz.  : 

Whereas  several  routes  have  been  suggested  for  the  proposed  Railroad  tiirough 
the  Province  of  Nova  Scotia,  and  it  is  desirable  that  the  most  certain  inforuiation 
within  the  means  of  the  Convention  should  be  obtained  before  the  particular  line 
be  selected  in  an  adventure  of  such  magnitude 

Resolved,  Therefore  that  a  committee  be  appointed  of  gentlemen  of  thel'nlted 
States  uninterested  la  any  of  the  local  considerations  that  atVect  the  inha'-itants  of 
New  Brunswick  and  Nova  Scotia  in  the  question  indicated  in  the  above  Preamble, 
whose  office  it  shall  be  personally  to  inspect  the  dilferent  routes  proposed  fortrav- 
ersing  Nova  Scotia  with  the  following  objects  concerning  each  specially  in  view. 

The  distance  and  time  of  transit  by  each — the  physical  advantages  and  disad- 
vantages ;  the  population,  resources,  and  nature  of  the  country,  including  the  means 
of  providing  for  the  work  ;  the  probable  way  passage  and  traffic,  and  the 
amount  of  subscriptions  from  the  inhabitants  that  might  be  justly  relied  on;  and 
most  particularly  the  general  cost  and  means  of  raising  the  necessary  funds  within 
a  reasonable  period,  and  the  time  when  tho  undertaking  may  be  brought  into 
efl\jctive  operation  by  each  route. 

And  that  the  Committee  report  on  these  and  other  points  of  comparison  which 
they  may  deem  important  as  respects  each  line,  to  the  Standing  Committee,  and 
such  report  finally  to  determine  the  route  to  be  accepted  as  final,  by  Maine,  New 
Brunswick  and  Nova  Scotia. 

Having  submitted  the  foregoing  report  on  behalf  of  the  com- 
mittee on  business,  Mr.  Wilmot  said  there  was  one  other  reso- 
lution which  the  committee  adopted,  whether  for  good  or  evil,  he 
knew  not,  which  was,  that  the  chairman  should  offer  to  the  Con- 


86 


vcntion  such  remarks  upon  tin;  gciicial  subject  as  he  might  deem 
fit  and  becoming  to  the  occasion. 

This  announcement  was  received  with  the  most  enthusiastic 
cheers. 

Mr.  WiLMOT  spoke  in  substance  as  follows  : 

Mr.  President  ami  Geulhmen  : 

I  find  iny.sblf  in  u  nuw  pusitiuii,  in  luldiLMsiMg  u  Ctinvention  in  a  city,  in  a 
Statri,  and  under  ii  governnieiit  tiiat  i.t  foi't-igri  to  iiic,  as  fur  as  citizcnsiiip  iit  cnn- 
cernt'd.  But  I  feel  iny.suif  ut  liouie,  for  I  iini  itinoiig  tlio.se  wlio  derive  tlieir  iiilicr- 
ituiice  from  tii!;  Sitiiie  cuiiiuiuii  unceslry.  1  luii,  .Mr.  I'resident,  not  u  fou  of  .New- 
Eiiglund,  but  a  grandson,  and  I  can  find  tlie  old  gruve-stoiicti  wliicli  indicate  the 
graves  of  my  ancestors,  in  a  pleasant  village  of  Connecticut.  (Cheers). 

We  in  the  Provinces  came  to  this  Convention  at  your  cull,  we  have  responded 
to  your  invitation  and  you  have  given  us  a  brother's  welcome.  Physiologista 
afiirni  that  the  exercise  of  the  muscles  tend  to  their  enlargement  and  fuller  devel- 
openient ;  and  phrenologists  attirm  that  the  exercise  of  the  different  fuculties  de- 
velopes  in  a  corressponding  degree  the  bump  upon  the  cranium.  I  would  beg  to 
add  something  to  this  category, — the  exercise  of  benevolence  and  kindness  en- 
larges the  heart,  and  since  1  liuve  been  among  you  I  have  felt  my  heart  grow  big 
within  me.     (Repeated  cheers.) 

I  am  delighted  to  see  this  day,  and  could  I  give  expression  to  the  emotions  which 
swell  up  within  me  I  would  do  so,  but  my  power  fails  in  the  attempt,  and  I  can- 
not presume  to  make  a  speech. 

We  do  not,  however,  meet  to  consult  about  California,  whcro  one  hundred  ami 
twelve  hour  speeches  are  necessary,  or  about  the  admission  of  New  Mexico  into 
the  Union.  Our  objects  is  to  effect  an  admission  into  the  great  Railroad  Union," 
and  on  this  question  we  admit  of  no  "compromi  '«."  We  go  straight  ahead  in  our 
purposes,  and  the  union  will  be  effected.     (Cheers.) 

I  know,  Mr.  President,  tis  a  great  work  in  which  we  are  engaged.  I  know 
tlint  it  looks  vast,  if  not  impossible  of  achioveiiient  to  those  who  have  not  studied 
its  relations  and  its  details.  But  to  those  who  look  ut  it  through  the  enlarged 
medium  which  its  contemplation  excites,  will  find  that  difiiculties  diminish,  as  its 
importance  increases  upon  their  vLsion. 

Look  ut  the  progress  of  similar  enterprises  among  yourselves  in  the  State  of 
Maine,  and  other  parts  of  New  England,  and  then  suy  whether  any  thing  is  re- 
quired of  us,  but  union  of  effort,  and  faith  in  the  result  of  our  exeitions.  In  pros- 
ecuting our  efforts  in  this  mutter,  we  must  have  fuith  ;  but  us  fuith  without  work 
is  dead,  let  us  put  forth  our  exertions  and  go  steadily  forward  to  a  speedy  and 
glorious  completion  of  our  grout  enterprise.     ("Cheers.) 

If  the  timid  falter  and  the  doubting  hold  back,  there  are  others  who  will  take 
their  places  and  keep  our  ranks  full.      We  have  only  to  hold  on  to  our  position, 
and  drive  back  the  army  of  doubters,  or  opposers,  who  may  resist  our  march. 
We  must  give  them  the  same  reception  that  General  Taylor  gave  to  the  army  of 
Santa  Anna  ut  Bueiia  Vista.     If  opposed  by  superior  numbers,  or  if  on  any  pjirt 


87 


uf  tlH>  (i<*IJ  thf're  arc  th(Mi>  who  Itrsitati',  or  hold  hack  whun  ii  lalroiiK  l>*>l>l  <>!'  llu* 
enniiiy  i^  to  he  rnrricd,  I  would  repont  the  ord<'r  of  (Jen.  Tiiylor — "  ,'i  IttUe 
more,  gntpf  C'lipt.  I'oor."     CIVcinciidiuM  ( liccrH.) 

Il  i«  written  in  the  d('rre«>«  of  ctcmiil  Providtsnce,  Mr.  !V«'!<idt'nt,  that  wn  ihiill 
learn  war  no  more  ;  w<>  may  tlu'ii  i;o  on  .^jdn  hv  .lidt-  with  ({lorioiH  <>niul»tion  for 
the  caus<;  of  virtue  and  |ihiliirithrn{iy  throughuut  thti  world,  Htriviu);  whoitluill  out-vie 
each  other.  How  changed  in  every  respect  now,  in  the  condition  of  our  race. 
How  glorious  the  sij^ht  of  two  great  people  uniting;  as  one,  "to  draw  more  elonelj 
the  hands  of  i)rollierhood,"  lltut  yet  siiall  iiiiikt;  of  "«//  mmikinil.  /till  one  s^real 
brotherhooil  of  nations.^''  The  gentimunt  of  that  resolution  which  end)odies  this 
idea  is  worthy  of  its  unthor  and  of  the  AinffiiMM  cliarncter  ;  hut  it  is  also  n  senti- 
ment to  which  the  people  of  the  British  Empire  will  resjiond.     ((.'heers.) 

Sir,  I  found  in  the  (.'irculiir  which  invittnl  \\*  here  thijt  oentiment  tapressed, 
in  terms  which  aroused  the  to  fullest  enthusiasm,  the  minds  of  every  man  in  the 
British  I'rovinces.  "The  spirit  of  peace  has  at  last  prevailed — national  animos- 
ities, sectional  and  political  hostility  have  disappeared  hetw  ecu  the  Kii^lisli  races, 
since  the  establishment  of  the  boundaries  nf  Maine  and  Oregon,  and  the  contests 
of  war  have  been  succeeded  by  u  noble  and  generous  rivalry  for  the  promotion  of 
llie  arts  of  peace.  The  introduction  of  the  steamship  and  the  railway,  has  made 
former  enemies  friends.  National  hostility  has  given  way  to  commercial  and  so- 
cial intercourse,  and  under  whatever  form  of  government  they  may  hereafter  ex- 
ist, they  can  never  again  become  hostile,  or  unfriendly."     (Cheers.) 

To  this  sentiment  I  respond  with  all  my  heart.  It  is  this  sentiment  that  has 
brought  us  together.  I  know  not,  who  was  author  of  this  Circular,  but  whoever  he 
may  be — in  the  name  of  every  Englishman — in  the  name  of  every  American,  sir, 
in  the  name  of  humanity,  I  tender  him  thanks.     (Cheers.) 

An  enterprise  aiming  to  accomplish  such  results,  and  which  is  in  and  of  itself 
calculated  to  produce  such  results,  cannot  fail  of  success.  The  whole  civilized 
world  is  interested  in  its  accomplishment.  There  are  some  good  old  fashioned 
people  who  think  we  are  going  too  fast  and  too  far  in  our  rail-road  enterprises. 
We  have,  they  say,  lived  and  got  along  well  enough  without  rail-roads,  and  now 
you  seem  to  think  that  your  temporal  .salvation  depends  upon  it!  Ulot  out  your 
telegraphs,  lay  up  your  steam-boats, — what  darkness  would  come  ujwn  the  world. 
We  must  here  form  our.selves  into  a  council  of  war,  for  the  purpo.4e  of  combatting 
these  old  prejudices,  and  instead  of  being  turned  away  from  our  objects,  we  wil' 
take  stronger  grounds  than  ever  attempted  before. 

Mr.  President,  we  of  the  Provinces  have  made  up  our  minds  no  longer  to  re- 
main quiet  in  our  present  condition.  With  all  the  fine  natural  advantages  our 
cvsntry  possesses,  we  make  comparatively  slow  progress,  and  our  Province  itself 
is  scarcely  known  to  the  world.  I  shall  be  pardoned  here  for  relating  an  anecdote 
to  illustrate  the  truth  of  this  remark. 

In  a  recent  visit  to  Washington  upon  official  business,  I  had  occasion  to  tarry 
a  few  days  in  the  city  of  New  York,  and  amorg  other  places  that  I  visited  with 
a  friend,  was  one  of  the  colleges  in  the  city.  My  friend  introduced  me  to  a 
learned  professor,  as  his  friend,  the  "Ailorney  General  of  JVcw  Brunswick." 
We  entered  into  conversation  on  a  variety  of  matters,  and  he  inquired  when  I  came 


88 

iivi'r  to  the  (:ity,ariil.'iiilo  viiriouN  iimtltrK  goinj^oiiin  llic  tifii^hliniiiig  Htiitc.  Seei'ig 
thi'  (iiintHluMiCllii!  Iiiiriii'd  pr<ifct«or,  I  thought  i(  h.inlly  kinil  to  mortify  him  by 
rorrcrlirig  it,ani!  I  iiihwitciI  in  lh«  hc^t  way  I  cniilil,  iiixl  t<Mik  my  leave  ;  iiml  to 
thin  time,  I  8Uppoi«>>,  tho  Icnnieil  proffNgor  thiiil<H,'he  hiul  heen  tnlking  with  the 
Allorney  (ieiiiTiil  of  ihi?  fini!  oUl  Htale  of  Ntrw  Jerney  !     ('rri'iiiendouu  rheerw.) 

St:('iii;{  that  my  own  country  ilnelf  wan  harilly  known  bf-yonil  itt  own  honnd«, 
I  felt  II  littln  priile  that  nIiu  nIiouIiI  not  alway*  reiiiHin  in  thin  ronilition.  I  folt  ha 
iiiHiiy  of  my  fritMiiU  and  neighhorH  have  lonjf  felt,  tint  we  nnwt  look  at  home,  for 
the  MKNinH  of  ..inkiii(5  our  I'rovince  honored  and  respected  abroad.  And  we 
intend  to  open  thin  line  of  rail-way  entirely  aro««  thf  breadth  of  our  Province  and 
h.ing  ourRelvcH  into  connection  with  the  world.     (CI  eers.) 

iMr.  Prcnident,  I  eannot  oiriit,  in  tlii.s  ronnertion,  the  exprennion  of  my  profound 
regard  for  the  American  I'liion.  It  is  the  Union  of  these  State*,  that  haH  given 
you  greatneKS  and  ntrength  at  home  and  the  respect  and  adniiratinn  of  the  civiliz- 
ed world.     (I,oiig  eoiitimn.d  cheers.) 

The  great  interests  of  Christianity,  of  philanthropy,  and  of  liberty,  throughout 
the  world,  depend  upon  the  I'liion  of  these  States,  We,  of  New  Bninswiok,  of 
Nova  Scotia,  and  of  Canada,  are  deeply  interested  in  its  exigtenre.  If  there  is 
any  question  of  the  day  that  interests  us  inor-j  than  all  others,  it  is  this  very  ques- 
tion of  the  pfrpetiiily  of  the  Union.  For  myself,  I  think  there  should  be  passed 
a  law,  providing  that  the  man  who  could  even  cor.eeive  the  idea  of  a  dissolu- 
tion of  the  I'nion,  should  be  guilty  of  treason.  In  the  sincerity  of  my  heart,  I 
say,  perish  the  man  who  should  dare  to  think  of  it  !  (Tremendous  cheers.) 

Mr.  Wilmot  then  proceeded  to  consider  the  resolution  offered  by  way  of  amend- 
ment to  the  6th  resolution,  and  objected  to  the  navigation  of  the  Bay  of  Fuudy, 
from  Digby  to  St.  John,  by  steam,  contemplated  in  the  rente  advocated  by  the 
mover,  on  account  of  the  dense  fogs  in  summer  and  storms  in  winter,  which 
might  interrupt  or  delay  travel,  &c. 

Mr.  W.  concluded  by  thanking  the  friends  of  Portland  for  their  hospitality.  As 
one  member  of  the  legislature  of  New  Brunswick,  he  promised  his  hearty  support 
to  this  measure  in  that  legislature,  both  in  money  and  in  lands,  so  far  ns  his  influ- 
ence extended,  and  as  a  member  of  the  government  of  the  province,  he  promised 
it.s  hearty  co-operution  in  the  proposed  rail  road.     (Long  and  repeated  cheers.) 

Tlie  reporter  ofthese  remarks  feels  it  due  to  the  speaker  and 
to  himself  to  say,  that  he  has  been  entirely  unable  to  give  any 
thii?g  like  a  report  of  the  remarks  of  Mr.  Wilmot 

"Mr,  Wilmot,"  as  stated  by  another,  "delivered  one  of  the  most 
spicy,  eloquent  and  enlivening'  speeches  which  we  ever  heard — 
which,  while  it  kept  the  audience  in  the  best  spirit,  was  replete 
with  noble  sentiments,  commending  thernsel.es  to  the  hearts  of 
all  present.  His  remarks  were  generally  upon  the  moral,  social 
and  intellectual  influences  which  would  result  from  the  contem- 
plated work.  No  sketch  would  do  justice  to  its  power  and  beau- 
ty, its  flushes  of  wit  and  humor." 


-Mr.  PiivoR,  Mayor  of  the  city  of  Ilnlifnx,  was  called  to  the 
chair,  during  iho  temporary  absonco  of  the  President,  and  the 
four  first  resolutions  were  greeted  with  hearty  cheers,  and  pasB- 
ed  unanimously  ;  and  when  the  name  was  announced — "  Tiir, 
European  ano  Nortii-Amkkican  Railway — ii  was  received  and 
adopted  with  great  a|>plause,  and  long  continued  cheering. 

On  the  rcadingof  the  5th,  Hon.  J.  W.  Johnston  of  Halifax,  a 
Delegate  for  Annapolis,  Nova  Scotia,  moved  the  amendment  pro- 
posed in  Committee  as  a  substitute. 

Mr.  Johnhton  siiiil,  tlwit  ill  representing tho  views  ofhii*  corislitueiitft  on  tlii.-t 
question,  he  lieggcd  to  iix.surc  the  Convention  thiit  there  i.-*  nothiiif;  in  the  tliglilext 
degree  antiigoiiiHtic  to  the  great  purjxwe  of  the  Convention.  ""•<;  iniportiinct!  of 
the  ineasnre,  he  considered,  xhoiild  settle  nil  minor  questions. 

VVIien  rni!wny  Hpeeulutors  meet  together  thc^y  weigh  its  coinmerciiii  ad- 
viintiiges.  These  ronsidcrationa  ure  all  proper,  but  when  a  question  of  this  kind 
is  presented  to  the  peopli;  these  inferior  considerations,  as  they  may  be  called, 
are  swallowed  up,  in  the  grand  and  vast  interests  involved.  It  in  a  national  quet- 
tion.     (Cheers.) 

He  rejoicetl  at  his  good  fortune  in  being  allowed  to  take  a  part  in  its  I'lellhera- 
tinns.  Notwithstanding  the  most  pressing  personal  claims  upon  his  attention  else- 
where, he  hiid  felt  unwilling  to  disregard  the  wishes  of  a  constituency  which  he 
had  the  honor  to  represent,  not  only  in  this  Convention,  but  in  the  govcrniiient  of 
the  Province,  which  is  his  home.     (Cheers.) 

Their  views  and  their  interests  he  was  every  ready  to  second  and  promote,  as 
far  as  consistent  with  the  interests  of  the  whole  Province.  Their  views  had  been 
briefly  expressed  in  the  memorial  which  he  had  the  honor  to  lay  upon  the  Presi- 
dent's table  yesterday. 

Before  adverting  to  the  considerations  in  favor  of  the  Ilalifa.x  and  Windsor  line 
over  the  continuous  land  route,  Mr.  Johnston  said  he  could  not  forbear  to  join 
his  voice  in  unison  with  those  who  had  spoken  of  the  influence  of  this  Conven- 
tion upon  the  social  and  commercial  interests  of  the  people  of  both  nations  who 
were  here  represented.  He  felt  the  influence  of  this  sentiment  in  every  thing  he 
uttered,  and  did  not  desire  to  jar  upon  the  harmony  of  the  Convention.  He  de- 
sired that  an  intelligent  o])inion  should  govern  the  proceedings  of  the  Convention, 
and  therefore  he  desired  that  a  resolution  aeeking  information  should  find  no  op- 
position.    (Cheers.) 

His  constituents  had  the  same  great  objects  in  view,  as  the  advocates  of  the 
continuous  laud  route,  and  would  not  be  behind  them  in  devotion  to  the  eause. 
He  himself  had  a  right  to  claim  a  common  sympathy.  For  he,  like  the  gentle- 
man who  preceded  him,  was  a  descendant  of  the  Anglo  American  race.  His 
ancestors  were  from  the  city  of  Savannah.  His  earliest  recollections  were  asso- 
ciated with  the  United  States,  and  he  had  looked  with  admiration  upon  her  pro- 
gress. He  begged  permission  to  join  in  the  expression  of  a  similar  regard  for  the 
.American  Union,  and  an  equally  strong  desire  for  its  perpetuity.     (Cheers.) 

12 


90 


Mr.  Joliimtnn  gave  some  iiii«Rji>l*<.s  illu.-itratiiig  tlie  f.'iiijrgy  and  the  during  of  the 
Aniericiin  chariirtiT,  iiiui  spoke  of  th«  iiifluenci'  whicli  tlie  two  gri'iit  nations  rL'|>- 
reneiiti'l  liy  ihi?  flags  whicli  float  over  us,  could  achieve,  in  advancing  the  great 
interi'M.H  of  the  race. 

Mr  Johnston  said  he  was  aware  of  the  eniliarrassnient  under  which  those 
wlio  entertained  tlie  same  views  as  himself,  were  placetl,  from  the  fact  that  while 
New  Urunswifk,  with  her  twenty  eight  delegate's,  was  unanimous  in  favor  of  a 
rontipuousland  route.  Nova  Scotia  had  geographical  dilliculties  of  a  very  peculiar 
character.  The  pro\iiice  of  Nova  Hcotia  has  a  peculiar  geographical  couiitruction. 
It  Is  a  pi'iruHula.  The  IViy  of  Ftimly  running  up  forms  two  other  l)ays,Cobequid 
and  fuiMlierlaiid  hays,  hriiiging  ocean  na\igatiiin  aliimsl  in  our  rentre.  The  valley 
watered  liy  the  .Annapolis  ami  Cornvvallis  rivers  is  one  of  singular  beauty.  From 
th(!  gut  of  .Vnnapolis  to  lower  Horton  the  country  is  one  of  the  richest  fertility  and 
of  gre;'t  agricultural  resource*.  The  idea  of  the  comnmnity  I  represent  is  that 
through  this  country  you  have  facilities  for  the  construction  of  a  railroad  to  be  met 
with  nowhere  else.  You  have  a  perfect  level,  and  there  is  not  a  single  obstruc- 
tion to  he  met  with.  It  is  a  dead  level,  upon  a  sandy  plain.  A  railroad  can  be 
constructed  on  this  line  at  a  small  expense.  This  railroad  is  within  the  means  of 
Nova  Scotia  without  any  foreign  assLstance. 

lie  ridiculed  the  idea  of  the  dangers  which  had  been  thrown  out  in  regard  to 
the  Hiiy  of  I'undy,  contending  that  they  were  nothing  compared  to  those  of  the 
Irish  Channel,  and  appeahxl  to  the  records  to  sustain  his  statement.  He  stated 
that  for  t\v(>iity  years  the  Hay  of  Fundy  had  been  navigated  by  steamers  of  an 
inferior  class,  yet  still  there  had  been  no  loss  of  vessel  or  of  extensive  loss  of  life. 
His  New  IJrunswick  brethren  had  a  kind  of  hydrophobia  about  this  matter.  The 
waters  of  the  Ray  frightened  them.  His  chief  argument  was,  that  the  ditference 
in  the  exp(!use  of  constructing  the  two  routes,  rendered  the  other  impracticable. 
He  wished  a  careful  survey  made  by  disinterested  persons,  and  would  state  that 
his  constituents  would  cheerfully  abide  the  result,  and  extend  their  aid  to  the  pro- 
ject, even  though  the  decision  should  be  adverse  to  their  preferences. 

Tho  reporter  feels  called  upon  to  say,  that  the  brief  sketch  of 
Mr.  Johnson's  remarks  give  but  a  faint  idea  of  his  speech,  which 
for  more  than  an  hour  held  the  undivided  attention  of  the  Con- 
vention, abounding  in  the  richest  imagery,  the  choicest  dictiort, 
and  the  closest  deductions  of  logic.  The  impossibility  of  a  re- 
vision by  the  speakers,  compel  the  publishers  to  send  out  the  re- 
ports of  the  speeches  at  the  Convention  in  their  present  meagre 
form. 

Mr.  WiLMi"  r  replied  to  Mr.  Johnston's  remarks  in  reference  to  the  navigation 
of  tho  Bay  of  Fuudy,  and  proceeded  in  a  humorous  strain  of  remark  to  show  the 
impracticability  of  the  Western  or  Bay  route,  because  of  tho  uncertainties  of  sum- 
mer navigation  and  the  severe  storms  of  winter. 

He  was  willing  to  acknowledge  that  he  was  somewhat  afllicted  with  the  Faii- 
Jy-Hylrophobiii.    He  feared  if  that  route  was  selected  they  would  have  to  intro- 


91 


duci'  a  new  set  of  iKivigator;*,  wiio  would  sail  tlifir  boats  In  tlio  aid  ufllnir  iioscs, 
Htiielliiig  tliL-  land  through  the  fogs. 

Travelling  Ujjon  lh;it  I5ay,  he  had  discovered  a  new  sjtecies  of  nav.^ators  there, 
those  who  could  steer  hv  the  nose.  Onee  in  u  dense  fog,  w  here  it  was  dilKrult  to 
determine  where  they  were,  he  heard  the  ery,  "cijsc  her,"  "/j(///o,"  "forward 
there,"  "doiit  you  smell  land!"  Sureenough  they  did  smell,  land  and  nitide  the 
shore  within  a  few  rods  of  the  place  they  started  from.     (Cheers.) 

The  reason  why  there  had  b(M,"n  no  !)oats  lost  on  the  Bay  is  that  they  don't  go 
fast  enough  to  rini  into  trouble.  Put  one  of  our  fast  steamer:)  down  there  unditho 
would  be  forty  roils  on  the  roeks  before  she  oonld  bo  stopped.  After  relating  one 
or  two  more  anecdotes  wliicli  told  rather  jiointrdly  on  the  advocates  cf  the  I'igby 
route,  Mr.  Wilmot  conclude*!  by  remarking  that  he  helieveil  it  would  be  found 
Lest,  in  con.structing  this  railway,  to  have  it  laid  on  the  land.  Lines  of  travel 
would  never  be  sustained  across  the  Irish  Channel,  if  its  dangers  could  be  avoid- 
ed by  going  round  one  liundied  and  fifty  miles.  In  regard  to  the  amei.  hnent,  he 
should  feel  inclined  to  move  a  "  Wilmot  Proviso,"  as  follows  :  Provided,  twver- 
theless,  that  no  part  of  said  railway  he  laid  on  the  water.  He  said  the  delegates 
from  New  Brunswick  were  unanimous  in  their  opinion  in  favor  of  the  land  r-nite, 
while  the  Nova  Scotians  were  not  unanimous  in  favor  of  the  Digby  route.  (Cheers.) 

Mr.  FnAziER,  of  Windsor,  N.  S.  and  nRMnberof  the  Provincial  I'arliament, 
said  he  came  from  a  section  of  the  country  where  speakers  were  accustomed  to 
talk  remarkably  large  to  very  small  audiences.  He  characterized  Mr.  Wilmot's 
fog  story  as  a  bugbear.  When,  he  asked,  was  a  mail  ever  lost  in  cros^iing  the 
Bay  of  Fundy.  The  difficulties  and  dangers  of  that  navigation  had  been  largely 
exaggerated.  He  did  not  come  to  the  convention  in  a  captious  spirit,  nor  were  the 
views  of  his  constituents  in  favor  of  a  route  whose  terminus  should  be  at  Digby 
connecting  with  the  bay,  captious  or  inireasonablo.  They  state  their  pref- 
erences, and  their  fears  that  the  eastern  or  upper  route  would  be  found  impracti- 
cable. This  is  the  principle  upon  which  Mr.  Johnston  offered  his  ameiidnient. 
The  difference  of  e.\i)ense  in  the  two  routes  was  estimated  at  S■4,0()(l,()^)0  in  favor 
of  the  Bay  line.  What  the  amendment  wants  is  that  the  Convention  shall  appoint 
a  conniiittee  of  unprejudiced  and  impartial  men  to  explore  the  proposed  lines,  and 
that  their  decision  shall  be  final.  This,  lie  thought,  was  a  small  recpiest,  aiul 
preferred  with  all  deference  to  the  opinion  and  will  of  the  Conveniion.  lie 
would,  for  iiimself  and  friends,  repudiate  the  idea  of  offering  any  op|)osition  to 
embarrass  the  action  of  the  Convention.  God  forbid  that  any  such  motives  should 
bo  imputed  to  them.  Ho  and  they  were  ready  to  unite  to  pro|)el  this  great  rail- 
road of  civilization,  which,  again  joining  F.ngland  and  America,  would  enable 
them  to  defy  all  the  tyrants  of  the  world  and  all  the  despots  that  ever  were  creat- 
ed.    (Cheers.) 

At  1  o'clock  the  Convention  adjourned,  to  meet  at  2  1-2  P.  M. 

Afternoo.n. 
His  Excellency  Governor  Hunii.4RD  in  the  Chair 

Hon.  Mr.  Chandler,  ofN.  B.,  took  the  lloor.     He  said  that  he  should  confine 
hij  observations  entirely  to  Mr.  Johnson's  amendment.     Tiie  question  cf  u  line  of 


w 


92 


r:iiKv:iy  fro;ii  Main"  fn  tlii'  F.KtiTii  rr\:\A  nf  \ov!i  Smtia  was  nnt  a  subject  of  ile- 
hatc,  fur  that  irinttcr  ho  consitlfrfd  as  already  sfitt'.i'd — the  line  must  go  on — and 
sail,  ii  would  hn  ohnnrved,  that  all  ndriiiltcd  how di.'sirable  it  was  to  have  a  con- 
tinouH  land  route  fioiii  naiigor  to  Halifax,  and  the  only  objwlion  urged  was  the 
"xpi-ii.-i".  The  f;rc:it  objert  of  this  Railway  wa''  to  si^cnre  to  itself  the  whole  trav- 
el lietween  the  Old  World  and  the  New  ;  and  failing  to  securi!  that,  from  any 
doiil)t  a-i  to  certainty  or  speed,  the  attempt  would  be  a  fiilure.  The  hearts  of 
the  people  of  .\ew  Rruiiswick  were  with  this  continuous  land  route  ;  and  he  did 
not  b'ilieve  th(!  travelling  community  of  the  United  Stales  would  consent  to  cross 
the  Bay  of  Fundy  either  during  the  fogs  of  sunmier,  or  the  ice  and  snow-storms  of 
winter. 

If  we  have  n(i|liing  but  inert!  cotumorcial  advantages  to  show,  lliey  would  not 
be  of  sullieient  importance  to  enlist  legislative  aid  in  behalf  of  tha  scheme.  The 
great  trunk  Railroad,  designed  to  unite  the  Provinces  and  Canada,  wiis  an  Imperi- 
al measure,  but  private  capital  could  not  be  secured.  No  sooner,  however,  was 
the  circular  calling  this  (i^onvontion  and  uiifoldingthis  vastand  comprehensive  plan, 
circulated  in  the  Provinces,  than,  with  one  consent,  a  disposition  to  subscribe 
stock  to  a  large  amount, — an  amount  that  seemed  ain:ost  incredible,  was  mani- 
fested.    The  feeling  in  favor  of  the  scheme  is  universal. 

With  regard  to  the  Bay  of  Fundy  route,  he  would  put  it  to  the  sound  practical 
sense  of  the  Convention  if  they  think  this  plan  a  desirable  or  even  a  feasible  one. 
The  uncertainties  attending  it,  is  a  fatal  objection.  A  steamer  on  the  coast,  ad- 
ver'.ised  to  sail  at  a  certain  day,  is  looking  for  the  arrival  of  her  passengers,  but 
fogs  or  storms  detain  them  in  the  Bay.  Wli>)  would  run  the  risk  of  these  uncertain- 
ties? No  !  the  road  must  be  established  on  an  uninterrupted  land  route,  or  the 
wlioli!  scheme  will  fall  to  the  ground.  If  tlie  amendment  of  .Mr.  Johnston  be  adopt- 
ed, New  Bnmswick  would  despair. 

He  considered  it  perfect  madness  to  advocate  this  route  ;  and  if  the  amendment 
should  be  carried,  the  New-Brunswick  delegation  cnuld  hold  forth  no  prospects  of 
success  for  this  Railway  ;  they  could  pledge  no  aid  to  it;  and  he  believed  it 
would  create  a  feeling  of  dislike  in  that  Province,  which  might  go  far  toward 
crushing  the  whole  undertaking.  Mr.  Chandler  tlien  proceeded  to  answer  the  ob- 
jections raised  to  the  land  route,  on  the  score  of  expense.  In  Maine,  there  was 
the  same  extent  of  Railway  to  be  built,  by  either  route.  In  Nova-Scotia,  there 
was  not  so  much  railway  to  be  built  by  the  land  route  ;  the  dilficulty  then  was  in 
the  Province  of  New-Hninswie);.  Mr.  .Tohiiston  had  said,  that  New-Brunswick 
would  not  do  its  part  ;  but  the  d(!legatos  from  that  Province;  said,  ilwoulddo  its 
part,  and  they  ought  to  be  the  best  judges.  Mr.  Chandler  contended  that  the 
diU'ereMce  in  expense  between  the  two  routes  winild  be  very  little,  when  the  con- 
structing and  maintaining  four  large  steamboats,  v.ith  the  net  jssary  piers,  wharves, 
landings,  and  docks,  on  both  sides  of  the  Ray,  was  taken  into  account.  The  gen- 
tlemen who  were  sent  there  to  oppose  the  continuous  land  route,  represented  only 
narrow  portions  of  Nova-Scotia,  and  certain  local  interests  ;  a  majority  of  the 
Nova-Scotia  delegates  were  opposed  to  this  sectional  feeling,  and  advocated  the 
continuous  land  route,  on  broad  and  liberal  principles. — Mr.  Chandler  concluded 
a  very  able  speech,  by  saying,  he  hoped  the  amendment  would  be  withdrawn,  as 


93 


it  would  only  tend  to  po-ilpone  the  work  indefinitely,  nnd  thus  le.id  to  diiTiniliirs 
which  might  be  fatal  to  tlip  wholo  enterjiriso.     (Clipers.) 

Dr.  Robert  IIayari),  of  St.  John,  stattnl  that  Ik;  appfari'd  na  a  dclfjtatc 
from  hi«  native  Provincn  of  Nova-Scotia,  and  he  advocatwi  the  route  ncrotw  the 
Bay  of  Fundy.  He  hoped  that  the  time  wa.t  fa.-it  appro.uhiiij;  when  there  should 
be  no  more  war,  and  when  cannon  would  be;  converted  into  railroad  barn,  be- 
coming thus  agent.s  of  [/eace  and  good  will  ;  for,  said  he,  railsoad.-i  are  ihe  pacif- 
cators  of  nations.  With  regard  to  the  great  plan,  he  was  ready  to  give  his  he."  ty 
concurrence,  and  a.asured  them  that  those  he  represented  were  in  behalf  of  any 
line  that  may  he  determined  upon,  be  it  east  or  be  it  west. 

He  deprecated  all  sectional  feeling  ;  and  whatever  route  might  be  eventually 
selected,  he  would  wish  it  a  hearty  God  speed  !  .\s  to  the  matter  under  discus- 
sion, it  resolved  itself  into  a  question  of  pounds,  shillings,  and  pence — it  was 
easier  to  speak  millions  than  to  collect  millions.  He  acknowledged  the  superiority 
of  the  land  route  ;  but  where  would  the  cash  come  from  to  build  it?  If  they 
could  get  the  inoriy,  he  would  go  for  the  land  route,  with  all  his  heart.  He 
supported  Mr.  Johnston's  amendment,  and  did  not  believe  it  would  retard  the 
movement  ;  he  wished  the  routes  to  be  examined  by  a  Committee  of  disinterested 
gentlemen  from  the  United  States  ;  and  he  was  authorized  to  announce,  that  hi*, 
constituents  would  not  oppose  or  obstruct  the  route  on  which  that  Connnittee 
should  finally  decide.     (Cheers.) 

Mr.  Poor  of  Portland,  then  took  the  stand  and  said  he  hoped  the  Convention 
would  pardon  him  for  interrupting  for  a  few  moments  the  course  of  the  debate. — 
He  was  aware  of  the  importance  that  attached  to  this  question,  and  hoped  there 
would  be  a  full  discussion  of  the  matter  by  the  gentlemen  from  both  Provinces, 
and  that  the  vote  on  the  question  would  not  be  pressed.  For  one  he  rejoiced  that 
the  question  had  come  up  for  discussion,  and  that  it  had  called  out  so  full  infor- 
mation, and  awakenened  so  much  feeling.  He  had  fears  that  the  interest  in  the 
Convention  could  not  be  kept  for  want  of  matters  of  controversy  and  debate. — 
T".ie  debate  had  been  conducted  in  such  good  temper,  that  he  anticipated  the 
most  fiivorable  results  from  the  discussion,  and  the  more  so  as  other  gentlemen  he 
was  assured,  would  lay  before  the  Convention  additional  information,  called  out 
by  the  proposed  amendment. 

Mr.  Poor  said  the  Convonlion  was  aware  that  a  delegation  from  Canada  was 
present,  and  had  taken  an  active  part  in  its  proceedings.  He  was  sorry  to  say 
that  the  delegation  from  Quebec  were  compelled  to  leave  in  the  evening  train, 
nnd  he  would  therefore  ask  the  gentlemen  of  the  Lower  Provinces  to  give  way  to 
allow  us  to  hear  from  the  delegation  from  Quebec;  and  called  on  J.  Bkm.  For- 
syth, Esq.,  of  Quebec  to  oddress  the  Convention. 

Mr.  Forsyth,  after  thanking  the  people  of  Portland  for  their  liberality  and 
hospitality  on  the  present  occasion,  said  he  hoped,  that  although  strangers  now, 
they  would  not  long  ren  -in  so.  He  and  his  colleague,  Mr.  Angers  were  inter- 
ested in,  and  of  the  conmiittee  of  the  Quebec  and  Melbourne  Railway,  and  as 
such,  felt  the  deepest  interest  in  the  subject  matters  of  the  Convention.  They  hud 
n  still  greater  and  higher  interest  than  that,  for  they  saw  in  it  the  commencement 
of  a  series  of  measures  that  shall  bind  the  whole  contuient  together.     He  did  not 


94 


appear  to  reprfisnnt  any  neclionKl  views,  Imt  simply  to  show  the  deep  interr«t 
which  he  nrid  hi»  friends  mid  roinpeers  felt  in  tiiis  (^re.it  undertnl<ing,  which  is  to 
unite  Kiigliiiid  and  America  in  such  close  ami  intimate  connection.  Itefore  three 
years  should  elapse,  he  expected  that  the  Railway  hetwceii  Quebec  and  Portland 
would  tie  completed,  and  th''n  liy  the  great  net-work  of  Ilailwr.vs  in  the  United 
f^tati.'s,  tlu!y  would  soon  he  connected  with  all  America. 

lie  had  always  taken  the  deepest  interest  in  the  Portland  and  Montreal  Rail- 
way, lie  had  always  entertained  fears  that  the  Halifax  and  Quebec  line  was 
too  great  a  work  to  be  accomplished  in  our  day.  Hence  he  hud  endeavored  to 
favor  a  coininunication  with  the  Portland  Railroad  at  Melbourne,  a  distance  of 
some  i)y  miles  only  from  Quebec.  lie  had  just  received  inforiiiation  that  the 
charter  for  that' line  had  been  grant(.-d,  and  they  could  command  the  means  to 
construct  the  line  to  Melbourne,  under  the  very  liberal  law  of  Canada.  (Cheers.) 

An  idea  iiad  been  thrown  out,  that  the  Canadians  were  dead  to  public  works, 
which  was  not  correct;  in  th<'  aid  which  Canada  had  granted  to  public  improve- 
ments, she  had  set  an  example  to  the  Lower  Provinces,  which  they  would  do 
well  to  follow, 

By  the  law  of  Canada,  the  proprietors  of  every  railroad  in  that  Province  which 
exceeds  seventy-five  miles  in  length,  are  entitled,  as  a  matter  of  right,  to  call  upon 
the  Province  to  contribute  one  half  of  the  expense  of  building  such  railway. — 
This  very  proper  and  judicious  arrangement,  Mr.  Forsyth  said,  might  well  bo 
adopted  in  New  Brunswick  and  Nova  Scotia,  as  it  would  be  found  extremely 
beneficial.  With  the  assistance  tendered  to  this  line  by  the  city  of  Quebec  and 
the  government  guarantee  of  one  half  its  cost,  he  regarded  the  Quebec  and  Mel- 
bourne Railway  as  likely  to  be  finished  as  soon  as  the  Portland  and  Montreal 
line  is  finished,  which  is  to  be  done  in  1852.     (Cheers.) 

Mr.  Forsyth  .said  he  could  not  but  congratulate  himself  on  his  good  fortune  in 
being  allowed  to  take  part  in  this  Convention,  so  novel  in  its  character,  so  full  of 
promises  for  good.  We  here  see  the  representatives  of  diflerent  govern:nents 
sitting  side  by  side  in  friendly  council,  and  when  I  look  around  nie  and  see  the 
distinguished  men  who  have  come  up  together  to  carry  forward  this  great  work, 
I  cannot  doubt  its  succoss.  It  will  cornmund  confidence  and  capitalin  London. 
(Repeated  cheers.) 

I  feel  it  a  distinguished  honor  to  have  been  allowed  to  take  part  in  a  conven- 
tion of  such  dignity  and  importance — a  Convention  presided  over  by  the  Gover- 
nor of  the  Staff?;  and  we  are  assured  by  the  Chief  Magistrate  of  the  United  States 
that  he  would  have  gladly  been  present,  and  that  the  pressure  of  otlicial  duties 
alone  prevented  it.  In  concluding  a  very  sensible  and  business-like  speech,  Mr. 
Forsyth  said  that,  viewing  all  he  heard  and  saw  around  him,  he  would  truly  say, 
"the  night  is  past,  joy  cometh  on  the  morrow  !"     (Cheers.) 

Mr.  Dickey  inquired  of  Mr.  Forsyth  his  opinion  as  to  the  comparative  desirability 
of  the  two  proposed  routes. 

Mr.  Forsyth  expressed  himself  strongly  in  favor  of  the  land  route,  and  thought 
that  the  prevailing  feeling  in  his  section  of  the  country  was  in  favor  of  that  route. 

Mr.  Johnson  inquired  whether,  if  thir  route  should  be  found  impracticable,  the 
whole  scheme  should  be  abandoned. 


95 


Mr.  Forsyth  replied,  No — liy  no  nienni)! 

F.  R.  Ancfrs,  Esq.,  of  (lucbtT,  II  tiifiiihor  nf  tlip  rnnndiiin  l)ar,  writ  rrillcd 
u|)oii  In  nddresH  the  (.'on  vent  ion,  and  iipoli)i;isc<l  fur  hi.-*  inaliiliiy  to  address  theni 
in  a  language  of  whinli  he  was  not  thoroughly  niaHter;  but  hi*  remarks  were 
very  fiireihlo  and  of  iiiurh  iiiipiirtapce.  lie  strongly  advocated  the  [iropiwe*! 
railway  us  a  great  national  thoroughfare,  in  which  all  Canada,  from  (iuchee  to 
Lake  Huron,  was  d(^eply  interested.  He  said  that  tiuebec  and  Montreal  would 
shortly  he  brought  into  railway  coiiirnunination  with  the  Atlantic  at  Portland,  hy 
lines  from  those  cities,  which  met  together  and  fell  into  one  at  Melbourne.  Mr. 
Angers  announced,  that  as  to  the  proposed  railway  line  from  Portland  to  Halifax, 
the  CaiKidiaii  people  felt  a  deep  and  growing  interest  in  it,  and  would  give  it 
their  cordial  and  hearty  support. 

Mr.  .\ngers  said  he  felt  deeply  grateful  in  being  allowed  to  connect  his  name 
with  a  Convention  of  this  extraordinary  character.  It  was  an  unusual  spectacle 
to  see  such  an  audience,  day  after  day  presided  over  by  his  Excellency,  the  (iov- 
ernor  of  the  State  of  Maine,  and  a.  liritish  .\dmiral  by  his  side.  He  felt  proud 
that  he  had  been  permitted  to  witness  it  all,  and  to  connect  his  name  with  this 
great  and  important  measure.     (Loud  and  repcatetl  cheering.) 

The  President  then  called  on  J.  H.  Gkat,  Esq  ,  of  St.  John, 
M.  M.  P,  P.,  whose  appearance  was  greeted  with  the  most  ar- 
dent cheers.     Mr.  Gray  spoke  in  substance  as  follows: — 
Vour  Excellency  and   Gentlemen  of  the  Convention  — 

I  cannot  enter  upon  the  few  vemarks  1  have  to  make,  without  adding 
my  acknowledgements  to  those  of  the  gentleman,  wlio  hove  preceeded  me, 
for  the  courtesy  and  attention  we  have  received  eince  comirig  to  this  city.  I 
would  add,  however,  that  while  they  have  ad:nitled  the  stupendous  char- 
acter of  this  work,  they  have  failed  to  notice  the  peculiar  aptitude  of  your 
countrymen  to  originate  it.  If  they  would  but  look  back  at  the  career  of 
the  United  States,  during  the  last  few  years,  they  will  find  that  ii  is  not 
simply  in  undertakings  of  a  commercial  character,  having  pecuniary  re» 
suits  for  their  object,  that  the  people  of  the  States  have  been  prompt  and 
zealous  —  but  that  they  have  been,  and  are  equally  ready  at  the  calls  of 
science,  or  suffering  humanity. 

When  I  find  that  the  officers  of  the  American  Navy,  animated  by  a  de- 
sire of  acquiring  knowledge,  and  of  adding  to  tlieir  country's  fame  — can 
brave  the  deserts  of  Syria,  triumph  over  the  waters  of  the  Dead  Sea,  and 
plant  their  country's  flni;,  where  swims  no  breathing  thing  —  or  face 
with  equal  hardihood,  the  terrors  of  the  Arctic  Sea,  in  search  of  Sir  John 
Franklin,  —  when  I  find  the  people  of  these  States  coming  forward,  as  it 
•ere  wilh  one  spontaneous  burst  of  feelii  g,  and  throwing  from  the  rich 
abundance  of  their  wealth,  food  and  comfort  into  the  lap  —  of  afHicted  Ire- 
land, I  say — they  may  go  forth  I  care  not  where,  amid  what  Notions, 
Empires,  Colonies  or  Kingdoms  you  please  and  claim  their  prcrd  position, 
"  baud  nu'.li  secundus"  [cheers] 
Vou  orisinste  this  scheme.   Who  are  tliey  who  corae  forward  to  aid  you  in  this  work .' 


96 


Look  at  that  map  —  wlirrc  liii*  boltl  coists  of  Labrndor  and  Nova 
Scotia  roll  back  the  wavft  of  the  Atlantic — follow  the  sun  88  he  rises 
above  the  Kastcin  cliffs  on  his  NVcstward  cuiiiKr,  till  he  scis  beneath  the  far 
waters  of  Huron  and  Su(.erior —  pause  with  (hat  sun  at  h  a  nonnduy  height 
over  still  Ontario,  and  follow  his  rays  till  they  are  lost  in  the  measurelcks 
distance  uf  the  North.  Look  down  upon  a  country  rich  with  every  na- 
tional advantage,  watered  by  a  tlinusand  ttreains,  pregnant  with  every  cle- 
ment of  greatness  —  climate,  minerals,  forests,  soil — equalling  in  size  the 
Continent  of  Europe  i  peopled  by  the  Anglo  Saxon  race,  nervous,  ener- 
getic, determined  to  advance  —  and  tell  me  what  tongue  shall  dare  to  limit 
its  destinies,  or  deny  it  "  place"  amid  the  Nations  of  the  earth  .' 

The  people  uf  this  country  come  forward  to  aid  you  in  the  work.  In 
this  noble  enterprise  we  may  ask  to  become  the  brothers  of  a  race,  which 
sprung  from  the  same  Anoestral  Home,  hue  rivaled  its  parents'  power, 
and  become  that  parents'  pride.     (Tremendous  cheering.) 

Sir  —  There  was  a  beautiful  idea  expressed  by  the  Reverend  gentleman 
who  opened  this  Convention.  He  said,  thiil  the  elements  of  power  which 
we  were  now  making  so  subservietit  to  our  use,  hiid  always  existed  — 
but  that  Providence  gradually  unfolded  them  to  our  view,  as  in  it-i  wisdom 
it  saw  we  were  adapting  them  to  good  purposes.  And  sure  it  is,  these  ele- 
ments of  power  have  always  existed,  'i'he  li;;htnings  played  when  first 
the  world  began  ;  the  motive  power  existed,  when  the  planets  to  their  sta- 
tions rolled.  Yet  when  Franklin  first  brought  lightning  down  from  Heav- 
en, who  would  ha/e  foretold  that  in  less  than  the  life  of  man,  thit  light- 
ning itself  W'luld  have  been  chained  to  our  will,  and  made  to  bear  the 
message  of  our  Love  or  Hate,  from  tl"^  St  Lawrence  to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  .* 
As  little  can  we  tell,  what  may  be  the  consequences  of  the  great  underta- 
king we  have  met  to  discuss.  We  know,  judging  from  what  is  already 
before  us,  that  the  time  of  transit  between  Great  Britain  and  the  United 
States  will  be  shnriened  by  several  days  —  but  to  what  extent,  u)'i,iniately 
it  is  impossible  to  sny. 

In  the  consideration  of  the  question,  this  Convenion  must  come  calmly 
and  deliberately  to  a  sound  conclusion.  They  are  not  the  sole  adjudicators 
upon  this  point.  The  capitalists  of  Lor  Ion  and  New  Yorl<,  of  Liverpool 
ond  Uojjlon,  are  to  pronounce  upon  it.  .And  unless  they  sustain  the  con- 
clusion to  which  you  come,  it  is  of  little  consequence  what  it  is.  To  them 
it  must  be  presented  as  one  great  stupendous  work  — sinking  intermediate 
points,  bringing  prominently  to  view  the  two  great  termini,  London  and 
New  York,  and  showing  that  the  time  between  those  two  places  will  be 
materially  shortened  by  this  route  —  and  furtlier  that  iis  a  pecuniary  in- 
vestment it  will  pay.  The  immediate  quest-on  before  us  is  whether  Ih  s 
great  object  can  be  attained  by  n  route  composed  of  Steam  cominiinication 
and  Railroad,  crossing  t!i«  Bay  of  Fundy  from  St.  John  to  Digby,  or  6y  a 
coniinuuus  land  route  round  the  head  of  the  Buy.    To  have  a  br-^ken  com- 


97 

miinication  is  at  any  time  n  srrioii*  olijpction,  and  it  may  well  be  doubted, 
whether  passengers  who  come  out  in  iho  Steamers,  would  disembark  at 
Halifax,  if  the  prospect  of  another  embarkation,  and  sea  voyage  were  be- 
before  them,  and  more  particularly  of  the  character  described  by  the  eev- 
eral  gentlemen  who  have  already  spoken  of  the  Bay. 

I  have  no  desire  to  malign  the  water*,  which  wash  the  shores  of  my  own 
horn-,  but  it  is  well  kno>  .,  that  the  Uay  of  Fundy  has  a  character  abroad, 
which  would  utterly  doom  the  cause,  with  the  capitalists  of  London  and 
New  York,  if  a-ssociated  with  it.  Two  thousand  years  ago.  it  was  descri- 
bed in  languaifo,  too  accurate  to  be  fur^otten  — 

"i^tMtio  niiilt'lirlii  eniinii." 
"  (luod  Lutus  niuiidi.  nobiilm.  mnlusiiuo 
Jupitui  untul." 

Certainty  to  a  business  man  is  as  essential  as  speed.  Tlic  advocates  for 
the  Bay  route,  can  at  the  utmost  claim  for  it,  but  one  or  two  hours  advan- 
tage, allowing  that  winds,  tides,  storms  or  fogs  itfvcr  intervene  —  but  with 
such  elements  of  opposition,  it  would  be  iiuposible  to  count  upon  accuracy. 
The  increased  expense  of  the  land  route  is  urged  as  Mie  strongest  objection. 
It  may  be  questionable  whether  when  you  take  into  consideration,  the 
expense  of  building,  equipping,  and  maintaining  Steamers  and  wharves  in 
a  Bay  where  the  tide  rises  and  falls  40  or  50  fuet,  and  runs  like  a  sluice, 
with  the  disasters   tiom  fogs  and   snow  sttirms,  and  the  cost  of  insurance 

how  far  the  am junt  of  the  one  would  exceed  the  amount  of  the   other 

but  the  question  of  expense  is  of  secondary  importance,  when  compared 
to  the  advantage  gained ;  and  of  none  at  all,  if  it  can  be  shown  that  the 
investment  15  a /»ai/in^  o«e.  ''he  captalists  of  England,  will  look  not  to 
the  amount,  but  to  the  security  ;  and  it  is  not  likely  that  the  men  who  built 
tliJ  tubular  bridge  across  the  Menai  Straits,  at  an  expense  of  £'2,000,000 
sterling,  to  save  twelve  miles,  will  iiesitate  at  a  quarter  of  that  SMm,  where 
a  iiighawy  of  Nations  is  concerned. 

We  must  therefore  examine  this  land  route  as  a  matter  of  bu.siness  — 
will  it  pay  or  not  ?  Of  that  portion  of  tli.'  route  which  will  jiaas  through 
New  Brunswick,  to  whicli  it  is  my  duty  to  ask  your  attention,  1G8  miles 
liave  been  surveyed,  laid  out,  and  report<;d  upon  by  an  experienced  engi- 
neer appointed  by  the  government,  who  has  calculated  the  ex])(:'nsc  and 
given  the  estimates  for  the  work  along  the  whole  distance,  including  sta- 
tion houses,  t&c  ,  the  wharves  and  buildings  at  f-'chediac  terminus  on  the 
Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence,  and  St.  John  the  terminus  on  the  Bay  of  Furidy. 
At  tli'e  time  that  Mr.  Wilkinson  was  engaged  in  this  work,  about  two  years 
since,  traffic  tables  wore  taken  by  order  of  the  government,  at  three  difTer- 
en,  stations,  to  see  whether  there  was  sufficient  local  traffic  to  authorise 
the  undertaking. 

By  an  examination  of  this  report  and  these  traffic  tables  which  f  beg  to 
lay  upon  the  table,  we  shall  be  able  to  form  a  correct  estimate.  It  should 
be  remarked   that  these    tables   were   taken   during  the   three   harvesting 


98 


w 


montliR,  when  llie  agrieullural  population  were  otherwise  engaged  than  in 
traveling,  or  in  the  transportation  ol  traflic.  liy  rcferenre  to  that  Keport 
it  will  appear,  that  by  tlie  returns  fVoui  two  stations,  70  miles  apart,  Ham- 
mond River,  and  tlie  Uend  o(  the  Petioodiac,  the  nnnual  estimate  of  travel- 
lers by  the  former  was  23,368,  by  the  latter  1:7,700  —  Total,  111,008  — 
mean  amount,  55,534.  It  should  here  bo  remarked,  that  this  route  lies 
through  a  thickly  settled  farming  cjuntry,  afl'urding  a  continuous  l-^vol 
nearly  the  whole  way,  owing  to  the  singular  circumstance  of  two  rivers  run- 
in*  in  opposite  directions  ;  one  emptying  into  the  Head  of  the  Day,  the  oth- 
er into  the  Saint  John.  Regarding  these  numbers,  says  Mr.  Wilkinson, 
"as  derived  from  a  faithful  registration  of  points  upwards  of  70  miles  apart, 
they  must  nevertheless  fall  short  of  the  truth  by  the  large  number  of  trav- 
ellers entering  or  clearing  the  main  Road,  on  either  hand  before  apprunch- 
ing  those  points.  One  mode  of  viewing  the  relation  of  these  statistics  to 
prospective  revenue,  is  by  comparing  the  same  with  the  statistical  returns 
of  such  Railway  in  actual  operation  as  may  afford  a  fair  example  of  pas- 
senger traffic,  say  of  the  Western  Railroad,  in  Massachusetts. 

"The  average  yearly  number  of  through  passengers  on  thi)  Railway 
during  the  five  years  from  1842  to  1846  inclusive,  was  23,704,  and  of  way 
passengers  196,487.  Now  it  is  extremely  improbable  that  any  considerable 
number  of  the  travelers,  at  either  of  these  points  of  registration  between 
Saint  John  and  Schediac  were  traveling  at  n  greater  average  distance  than 
34  J^  miles  on  the  same  day.  In  order  therefore  fairly  to  represent  the 
traffic  on  the  whole  distance,  at  least  one  intermediate  station  should  have 
been  registered.  This  would  have  fallen  on  Sussex  Vale,  the  centre  of  the 
best  settled  portion  of  the  line.  A  registration  at  that  place  would  no 
doubt  have  shown  a  considerable  greater  number  than  at  Hammond  River, 
and  perhaps  less  tlian  a  mean  at  the' Bend.  It  will  be  reasonable  to  as- 
sume that  it  would  not  have  been  less  than  a  mean  of  the  two,  or  55,534. 
This  nnumber  may  be  taken  as  a  third  registration,  in  order  to  represent 
nearly  the  whole  way  traffic  according  to  an  average  experience  of  five 
years  on  the  Western  Railwiy  thus  : 

At  Hammond  River, 23,363, 


At  Susjex   Vale,  (mean) 
At  Bend  of  Peticodiac, 


55,534, 
87,700, 


Total  of  way  passengers,  ,         .         .  166,302. 

«'  Viewing  the  amount  of  way  traflic  with  respect  to  the  extent  of  conn- 
try  traversed,  it  is  as  compared  with  that  of  the  Western  Railway  as  fol- 
lows : —  For  the  number  106,437  way  passengers  in  a  distance  of  15G 
miles,  the  proportion  for  107  miles  is  134,770 —  bui  by  the  above  compu- 
tation, the  number  who  travel  within  the  latter  extent  without  a  Railway, 
is  already  166,002,  or  33  per  cent  greater  than  on  the  principal  Railway  in 
Massachusetts.     This  fact  alone  is  sufficient  to  remove  doubt  on  the  ques- 


C( 

til 


99 


lion  of  pronpeclive  rpvpn<ie.  It  shows  tlial  llie  liinc  for  the  eslahlishinent 
of  a  Railway  on  this  line  of  country  is  not  yet  to  come,  hut  thiit  it  has  long 
since  arrived." 

The  following  table  based  upon  that  Report,  and  llie  TrafHc  Table,  re- 
ferred to,  will  give  an  idea  of  the  results  from  tim  present  existing  stale  of 
facts,  and  show  a  clear  surplus  after  paying  working  expensen  and  five 
per  cent,  interest  on  the  capital  invested,  nniiiely  ; 

Towards  St.  John  — 
55,534  passengers,  at  20:«.,  ($4.)  (or  108  mile.s,       .         .     £.",5,53.1  0  0 
J57ij  horned  Cattle  at  '2d.  per  mile, 

]08  miles,  at  18s. 


IGO  Tons  of  Hay,  at  I  Ms. 
624  Tons  Baggage,  at  18s. 
t>0,U0O  Bushels  of  Pot  toes,  at  40 
bushels  to  the  Ton,  500  Tons 
at  183 

2,000  Bushels  of  Grain,  at  at  37 
bushels  to  the  Ton,  56  Tons 
at  188 

4,636  Hogs  anp  Sheep,  at  Is.  lOd. 
108  miles,         .         .         .         • 

Outward  Freight  of  Flour,  Gro- 
ceries, &c.,  to  the  interior, 
equal  to         ...         . 


Off  40  per  cent,  for  working  ex- 
penses, &c.,       .         .         .         . 

Interest  on   £540,000,    at  5  per 
cent  —  being   108   miles,   at 
£5000  per  mile, 


£1414 
144 
561 


9  0 
7  0 


450    0  0 


£3045     3  4. 


£3045     3  4 


£24  400 


£27,000 


£6,000    6    8 


£61624    6    3. 


£51,400    0    0 


Clear  surplus,         .        .         .         .         •         £10,224    6    8. 

These  calculations  show,  that  without  counting  upon  the  Government 
contract  for  carrying  the  Mails,  or  any  increase  of  business,  that  that  por- 
tion of  the  line  would  be  a  remunerative  investment. 

Mr.  Dickey,  one  of  the  delegates  from  Cumberland,  has  tables  and  sta- 
tistics  to  show   similar  results  for  the  line  through   Nova  Scotia and 

there  can  be  no  doubt,  judging  from  the  experience  of  the  existing 
lines  in  the  United  States,  that  that  portion  in  your  own  country  will  pay. 

The  next  point  to  which  attention  should  be  called,  is  the  saving  with 
regard  to  time.     And  the  question  arises  —  will  any,  and   what  saving  of 


It 
II 


3 
4 


30 

30 
II 


100 

ti  me  be  gained  by  the   proposed  European  and  Nortli-Anirricon  Railway 
over  the  present  route  from  London  to  Now  York. 

An  examination  of  the  following  Table  will  afford  convincing  proof. 

Days.     h.     m. 
From  London  to   Holyhead   263  milen,  at  35  milea 

per  hour,  average  speed  ot  cxpreaa  trains  inclu- 
ding stoppages,  .... 
ilolyhead    to   Dublin  G3   miles,  at  18   miles   per 

hour,  the  present  speed  of  the  Channel  Boat?, 
Dublin  to  Galway,  ViO  miles  at  30  miles  per  hour, 
Galway  to  Halifax,  2165  miles,  at  IG  i  miles  per 
hour,  the  Cunard   Boats   having  attained    ]5|^ 

and  with  less  weight  of  coals,  will  increase  their 

speed,  ...... 

Halifax  to  Boundary  between  New  Brunswick  and 

Nova  Scotia,  1^0  miles,  at  30  miles  per  hour, 
Through  New  Brunswick  via.  St.   John  to  Calais, 

in  iViaine,  210  miles,  at  30  miles  per  hour. 
From  Calais  to  Waterville,  155  miles,  at  30  miles 

per  hour,  ..... 

Waterville  to  New  York,  (line  in  actual  operation) 

41U  miles,  at  30  miles  per  hour. 


11       15 


10 


13      40 


7 

8 

5 

(1 

4 

7 

12 

5 

Total  running  time, 
Add  4  hours  for  delays,  trans-shipments,  &c.. 

Whole  time  between  London  and  New  York, 

Thus  shortening  the  time  by  at  least  four  days,  or  four  days  and  a  half. 
(Cheersj  Such  nre  the  practical  views,  in  which  this  great  subject  may  be 
regarded ;  but  if  we  look  at  it  in  the  light  designated  by  the  4th  Resolu- 
tion laid  before  this  Convention,  it  assumes  an  importance  which  language 
is  powerless  to  convey.  It  is  no  local  matter  —  the  Highway  of  the  World 
from  St.  I'jjters'jurgli  to  San  Francisco.  It  must  ever  be  without  a  com- 
petitoi,  because  its  Geographical  position,  ensures  it  precedence.  It  trav- 
erses Empires,  Kingdoms,  Colonies  and  States,  for  the  benefit  of  all. 
Connected  with  the  systems  of  Europe  and  America,  its  arms  embrace  the 
civilized  world  ;  the  ties  of  brotherhood  are  fostered  by  its  means ;  the  hu- 
manities of  life  extend  —generous  impulses  are  imparted, —  National  dif- 
ferences are  forgotten,  and  this  European  and  North  American  Railway 
will  link  the  Eastern  and  Western  Worlds  together, —  one  greatCommon- 
weallh  of  Nations  —     [Tremendous  cheering] 

Sir,  — I  cannot,  like  the  Honorable  gentleman  who  proceeded  ine,  claim 
any  local  lineage  to  invest  my  arguments  with  favor  in  your  eyes,  I  am  of 
an  Epglish  family,  and  I  would  not  for  the  applause  of  your  whole  coun- 


101 

try,  admit  aii;jlil  in  derogniion  of  iiijr  own  — (cheering)  1  con  only  proient 
thii  tniiltcr  before  you,  in  .i  plain  liilsincs*  point  of  view,  one  tlut  will  ro- 
suit  in  incalciil.'iblo  benefits  to  botli  ri>uiitrie«,  ami  to  expref>!<  llie  ardi'nl 
desire  of  the  I'rovinct-  to  wliicli  I  belon^j,  to  cu-opiT.iU.-  in  llie  great  work 

Mr.  Gray  sat  down  arr.id  the  most  ciuliusiusfii-  ilcmoiistrations  of 
applause. 

Mn.  Frazif.r,  of  Windsor  rose  to  explain  his  position.  lie  was  in  fivor  of 
the  iiineiulniunt,  because  he  eouKl  salisf  ictorily  see  how  tlie  means  eouki  be  (il>- 
tained  to  construct  the  I  Iiilifux  and  Windsor  line,  lie  was  free  to  sii)  that  if 
the  lund  could  be  made,  then  by  all  means  make  it.  (Cheers.)  For  one  hemivv 
dilHculties  in  (he  way,  in  the  ruisin<r  of  the  amount  necessary  for  the  land  route; 
while  ho  could  assure  the  (.'onveiition  that  forty-live  miles  of  the  Windsor  line 
had  to  be  built,  whether  or  no.  Tiie  Letjisiuture  had  pletlged  itself  to  take  one 
half  the  stock. 

If  the  laud  route,  however,  is  to  be  adopted,  he  was  willing  to  go  in  for  that. — 
This,  he  begged,  might  be  borne  in  mind.  But  it  was  easier  to  vote  a  road  built 
than  to  build  it.  It  was  easier  to  resolve  that  tht;  means  could  be  furnished  than 
to  obtain  thnm.  For  one  he  was  willing  to  take  the  ne.\t  best  thing  to  be  had,  il 
we  could  not  have  all  \v(!  wish. 

R.  B.  Dickey,  Esq.,  of  Amherst,  Nova  Scotia,  next  took  the 
stand. 

Mr.  D.  said  that  while  he  entertained  the  most  profound  respect  forhisdi-iingiiish- 
ed  colleagues  from  Nova  Scotia,  who  dillered  from  him  in  reg.ird  to  the  (piestion 
of  route,  he  felt  it  due  to  the  position  he  occupied,  to  say,  that  though  thure  was  a 
want  of  unanimity  among  the  delegation  from  Nova  Scotia,  a  majority  were  in 
favor  of  the  land  route.  Mr.  Dickey  said  that  he  saw  no  good  reason  for  the  ap- 
pointment of  the  committee,  as  proposed  by  the  amendment.  There  are  no 
facts  that  such  a  connnittec  could  obtain,  that  are  not  substantially  already  before 
the  Convention.  We  have  the  surveys,  plans  and  estimates  of  the  AV'ind.sor  and 
Halifax  line;  and  all  admit  the  feasibility  of  that  scheme  as  fur  us  any  i]uestion 
of  its  cost  or  of  its  business  are  concerned.  We  have  too,  the  surveys,  the  plans 
and  estimates  of  the  route,  from  Halifax  round  the  head  of  the  Hay.  Nova  Sco- 
tia had  less  railroad  to  build  by  going  round  the  bay  thtm  by  adopting  the  propos- 
ed line  to  Digby.  From  Halifax  to  the  line  of  New  Brunswick  through  Amherst, 
was  120  miles;  from  Halifax  to  Digby  the  distance  was  140  miles. 

The  difference  in  distance  between  the  two  lines  between  St.  John  and  Halifax 
is  trifling,  if  we  look  at  the  time  to  be  occupied  in  pussuig  over  them.  Allowing 
the  most  favorable  circumstances  for  water  navigation,  and  the  increased  speed 
of  the  railway  train  over  the  steamer,  and  this  difference  was  only  equal  to  18 
miles  in  favor  of  the  Digby  route.  The  case  had  only  to  be  stated  to  be  mad«! 
to  his  own  mind  at  least,  entirely  conclusive  in  favor  of  the  land  route.  lie  was 
therefore  opposed  to  the  amendment  of  Mr.  Johnston.  A  majority  of  the  Nova 
Scotia  delegates  were  wholly  opposed  to  crossing  the  Bay  of  Fundy,  and  their 
differences  with  their  colleagues  on  that  point  were  irreconcilable. 


It' 


102 


Ik- 


Mr.  Dickt-y  Miiid  hr  llwuj{ht  tho  dt^logiition  frmn  Sow  KruiiNwink  wpro  betitT 
jiitlgcM  ill  this  iii:itt«r  than  any  ono  from  Nova  .Sroiia  could  he.  Now  all  admit, 
that  ui*  far  an  iiii'.iiH  arc  (loripcrmMl,  \vi!  in  Nnva  Si-otia  xhoiild  favor  the  nhort 
liiu!  fur  UH  to  huild,  if  Niw  UriiiiMwick  will  do  her  part.  In  thix  the  lion,  gentle- 
man who  moved  the  amondmi'Ml  and  myself  arc  agreed.  "If  you  ran  rniM!  the 
iiicain  in  .New  BriniHwicU,"  Hays  Mr.  Johnston,  "then  I  cordially  go  with  you 
that  the  I'-aslcrn  line  shall  he  and  onglit  to  he  tin-  route." 

From  the  moinetrt  this  line  enters  th('  I'rovinrc  of  Nova  Hrotia,  it  jWHseH  over 
a  eoMMtry  nliotindiii:;  in  mineral  wealtli,  iron,  coal,  gypsum  and  lime,  and  the 
eountics  of  Cnmhcrlund,  ('olrhesttr  and  Halifax,  are  ei|uiilly  |H)(iu1ous  and  fer- 
tile with  ihosi'  of  .\nnapolis.  Kings,  and  Hauls  countiet),  which  lie  on  the  Annap- 
olis and  Dighy  route. 

Mr.  Dickey  presented  a  large  amount  of  statistical  iriformntion,  showing  the 
travel  which  the  land  route  would  command,  and  he  pointed  out  its  general  ad- 
vantages, and  superiority  over  tho  other  route.  (A  portion  of  thi:9  information  is 
giv(,'n  on  pages  43  to  -48,  and  this  portion  of  .Mr.  Dickey's  remarks  are  omitted.) 

After  speaking  of  the  influence  aial  vulu((  of  Railways,  Mr.  Dickey  closed  his 
remarks  hy  referring  to  the  fraternal  iidluence  which  this  enterpriso  was  calculat- 
•h]  to  exert  njion  the  two  nations  engaged  in  its  construction.  A  common  lan- 
guiige  was  in  fact  the  strongest  hond  of  hrotherhood  and  of  peace.  No  one  could 
know,  or  realise  the  magic  influence  of  thi.4  fact,  unless  they  had  been  sepuruted 
from  those  wlio  speak  our  mother  tongue.  lie  remembered  once  when  travelling 
ill  France,  stopping  at  a  quiet  village  hotel  in  the  interior,  be  felt  a  loneliness 
which  could  not  be  described,  while  surrounded  by  those  who  could  not  pro- 
nounce one  word  of  tiie  r,!igli.?h  tongue.  When  at  lust  he  heard  tho  voice  of  a 
stranger  utter  a  ningle  word  in  hi.s  native  language,  it  thrilk^d  his  heart  like  a  strain 
in  music,  and  when  he  respondyd  in  a  similar  tongue,  they  rushed  to  each  other, 
by  an  involuntary  impulse,  in  fraternal  embrace.     (Cheers.) 

The  sentiment  of  the  people  of  both  nations  is  one  of  fraternity  and  good  feel- 
ing. This  Convention  was  a  natural  expression  of  that  feeling.  For  himself  he 
felt  the  same  interest  in  tho  afiairs  of  Maine  us  a  neighbor  State  that  he  did  in 
those  of  a  sister  Province,  and  he  rejoiced  at  the  prospect  of  a  closer  and  more 
fraternal  union. 

Mr.  Dickey  sat  down  amid  the  most  ardent  cheering. 

Hon.  J.  E  Fairbanks,  of  Halif-ix,  was  the  ne.\t  speaker,  and  continued  the 
discussion  upon  tlic  matters  embraced  in  Ho...  Mr.  Johnston's  amendment.  He 
said  he  made  no  pretensions  as  a  speaker  ;  he  was  entirely  unused  to  public 
speaking;  but  on  such  an  occasion  as  this,  he  could  not  withhold  the  expression  of 
his  views.  There  would  be  four  dollars  subscribed  for  the  continuous  land  route, 
to  one  for  the  other.  He  came  from  Halifax  as  a  delegate  to  advocate,  by  his 
presence  and  vote  in  the  Convention,  a  continuous  and  uninterrupted  land  route, 
from  the  eastern  shore  of  Nova  Scotia  to  the  frontier  of  Maine.  He  differed  from 
his  friends,  Messrs.  Johnston  and  Frazier,  with  the  greatest  reluctance.  The 
Bay  of  Fundy  line  is  not  to  be  thonght  of  for  an  instant,  because  it  would  be 
impossible  to  enlist  the  influence  of  capitalists  in  its  favor.  The  project  of  the 
Portland  Circular  has  been  noticed  in  England.     Influential  men  there  regard  it 


103 


with  (  nthu!<m4in.  It  lit  thn  grunt  riiilway  niovuninnt  nfilit-  ,'ig<>.  ('a|iilalii«t!i  llM>ri> 
Br«  cniifidiuit  of  HUPr«>*»i;  nnil  tht-y  only  wiiit  for  un  to  arraiigo  tin;  inovciiient  b«- 
fori*  lu'lpiiiK  U!*  willi  tlii'ir  iiitliii'iiri-  anil  tlicir  ca-ili. 

JoHKHH  H.  N.  Kkkk,  l>(|.,of  Wulluri'.iu'Xf  ..>ok  lln'  tloor.  lie  tlioii<{lit  thfre 
was  no  ()cru!<ion  for  such  n  f'oinniitt«'o  a*  rontuinpi'ittnl  by  Mr.  Johnston.  No 
doiilil,  it.uvj.s  possibli-  to  rriN4  the  May  ofl'iindy;  lint  nil  adinittt'il  that  llit>  lam! 
routi!  wart  tint  litst,  Hiniply  <'onriniri)r  lliciiHi'lvc*  to  denying  that  mean-*  ronid  hw 
found  lo  liiiild  it.  Ili-  had  no  donht  nliont  it;  and,  a>i  nni-  of  the  .Nova  Hrotin 
delegalt'H,  \ut  gave  liw  hearty  nupporl  to  the  railway  Ay  hiinL 

Mr.  Kerr  said  he  \\i\n  ho  lirrnly  persuaded  of  the  feasihilily  and  profit  of  the 
proposed  line,  hu  exprcssec^  his  willingness  to  lake  stock  enough  iti  it  lo  liiiild 
one  mile  of  the  rond.  (Trernendoui*  cheers.)  Reasoning  on  the  subject  of 
the  profit.s  which  may  be  reasonably  anticipated,  is  as  follows:  — 

.As  the  Railroad  is  a  nv.tter  of  pounds,  shillings  and  pcMice,  and  as  the  f'unard 
line  M  said  to  be  coining  money,  let  us  examine  the  passsenger  trade  of  that  line, 
and  compare  it  with  ihut  of  a  line  of  steamers  between  the  ports  of  \\'liit<'liaveii 
and  (lalway,  on  the  west  coast  of  Ireland.  Cunard  carries  to  and  I'roiii  F.iiro|ie, 
an  average  of  seventy  pasxengers  u  trip;  the  revenue  from  which  may  he  stated 
m  follows:  — 

From  the  I'nited  States  to  Europe,  first  class  passengers,  CO,  at  X.2') 

each,  X  1,500 

Second  class,  in  steerage,  10,  at    £17  10s.,  175 


Passage  money  from  Europe— flO  in  cabin,  at  X35, 
10  in  steerage,  at  X20, 


X1,(J75 

t;2,ioo 

200 


12,300 

Making  the  average  each  way,  Xl,!)87  stlg.,  or  about  $9,800.  C'unurd's  ves- 
sels cross  in  from  11  to  14  days;  while  upon  the  route  proposed  by  the  advocates 
of  the  European  and  North  American  Railway,  the  same  vessel  could  cross  from 
land  to  land  in  six  days;  and  passengers  from  New  York  could  reach  London  in 
seven  days,  r.nd  Paris  in  eight  days.  V/ith  some  alteration,  increasing  their 
number  of  berths,  these  vessels,  or  new  ones  less  expensively  titled  up,  possessing 
all  the  power  and  speed  of  the  former,  will  bo  able  to  hr'iig  safely  and  comfort- 
ably, in  six  days  at  the  most,  one  thousand  pi.ssengers;  which,  at  X4  each,  or 
S16,  will  yield  a  revenue  of  $16,000  every  trip.  Dut  suppose  she  takes  but  500 
passengers  a  trip,  a*  X8,  the  amount  of  receipts  would  be  the  same. 

At  these  low  rates,  Mr.  Kerr  said  he  was  tirnily  convinced  the  steainshipB 
could  realize  large  profits.  The  Railway  from  Whitehaven  to  Boston,  could 
carry  passengers,  with  a  p'jfit,  for  XIO.  The  proposed  line,  obviates  the 
most  ditticult  and  dangerous  point  of  navigation  in  the  voyage  from  I'.urope  to  the 
United  States.  It  is  the  shortest  and  most  direct  route.  It  is  the  cpiickest.  No 
other  can  supersede  or  compete  with  it;  and  above  all,  it  can  be  made  by  fur 
the  cheapest  in  every  point  of  view.  For  these  reasons,  he  considers  that  the 
line  once  established,  will  be  the  great  line  of  travel  between  Europe  and  the  U. 


104 


Stutos.  Thf  liiindrfils  of  tliousiinds  who  yc.-irly  r'liiigrntc  to  this  country,  will 
come  by  this  route  and  no  other,  becnuite  it  will  h<:  the  chenpesf  iis  well  as  the 
Hiifest.  Troiii  the  low  prire  of  fare,  rich  nn  well  as  po  can  avail  themselves  of 
tliis  great  line  of  interconimunication  between  the  old  world  and  the  new. 

Mr.  Kerr  was  in  favor,  tlierefore,  of  the  coittiituou.i  land  route,  us  well  as  the 
shortest  ])raelical)le  line.     ^Cheers.) 

Hon.  .Mu.  Pryor,  Mayor  of  Halifax,  wi's  the  next  speaker.  Mr.  I'ryor  said 
allusion  had  been  made  to  the  interest  which  the  corporation  of  that  city  had 
manifested  in  the  Halifax  and  Windsor  road.  He,  Mr.  P.,  felt  it  his  duty  to  state 
the  actual  condition  of  alfairs  in  that  city  in  relation  to  railroads.  A  resolution 
did  pass  the  Councils  of  Halifax  empowering  tiie  govcrinnent  to  raise  !?-l()0,()()0, 
to  be  invest  ■!  in  that  corporation.  Shortly  after  this  resolution  had  passed,  the 
Portland  circular  was  received,  unfolding  the  nobh;  and  magnificent  scheme  of  a 
continuous  railroad  route  from  the  farthest  Eastern  border  of  Nova  Scotia  to  con- 
nect with  the  whole  United  States.  Without  hsu  of  time  this  vast  and  beneficent 
project  was  brought  before  the  citizens,  who,  at  a  large  public  meeting  took  im- 
mediate action  ujion  it  and  chose  delegates  to  meet  thi;  Convention  here.  At  that 
meeting  I  stated  what  1  repeat  here.  There  can  be  no  route  established,  with 
any  hope  of  profit,  but  a  continuous  one,-.  The  meeting  was  of  one  mind.  Our 
citizens  expressed  their  willingness  to  subscribe  stock  and  otherwise  aid  the 
project  by  every  means  in  their  power. 

This  Convention  is  in  every  respect  a  novel  one,  containing  as  it  does,  among 
its  members,  high  official  men  of  diflerent  and  foreign  governments  assembled  to 
work  out  and  j)lan  for  closer  alliances,  and  we  cannot  too  much  admire  li;e  spirit 
with  which  this  call  has  been  responded  to.  Our  object  is  to  bind  the  world  to 
j)eac(!  and  brotherhood  in  one  iron  arm  ;  may  it  never  be  broken  usuni'e"". 

Mr.  Pryor  said  in  connection  with  these  remarks  he  desired  to  lay  belbre  the 
Convention  u  paper  showing  some  statistics  of  the  trade  and  business  of  the  city 
of  Halifax.  The  city  of  Halifax,  he  said,  contained  about  24,000  inhab- 
itants; the  assessed  value  of  real  estate  was  £  1,013, 2-'30,  aid  of  personal  estate 
£1,944,683.     i;3,.557,983,  equal  in  dollars  to  13,714,732. 


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108 

Mr,  Pryor'g  remarks  were  warmly  ai-plaudcd;  and  there  was 
a  general  call  for  the  question  upon  Mr  Johnstons  amendment. 
Mr.  Poor,  of  Portland,  proposed  that  the  question  shouh!  not  he 
taken  this  evening,  as  it  was  nearly  six  o'clock.  Mr.  Hall,  of 
Nova  Scotia,  seconded  the  views  of  Mr.  Poor.  Hon.  Mr.  Wil- 
mot  was  anxious  to  come  to  a  vote  this  evening,  for  some  of 
the  delegation  must  leave  to-night. 

Hon.  Mr.  Johnston,  the  mover  of  the  amendment,  was  in  favor 
of  taking  the  vote  this  evening,  as  he  was  among  the  number 
who  were  compelled  to  leave  this  evening.  Several  gentlemen 
said  they  would  prefer  to  have  the  matter  lay  over  till  the  morn- 
ing, if  that  was  the  choice  of  the  delegation  from  Nova  Scotia 
and  New  Brunswick. 

AAer  further  consultation,  it  was  unanimously  agreed  to  take 
tlie  vote  upon  the  qnestion  of  Mr  Johnston's  substitute  for  the 
5th  Resolution;  and  the  vote  was  taken  by  rising,  and  the  mo- 
tion was  lost.  Messis.  Johnston,  Hall,  Frazicr,  Dr.  Bayard, 
F.  VV.  Pickman,  Esq.,  of  Annapolis  Royal,  and  John  Neal, 
Esq.,  of  Portland,  were  noticed  as  rising  to  the  affirmative. 
When  the  noes  were  called,  there  was  an  overwhelming  vote. 

On  motion  of  Mr.  VVilinot,  the  5th  Resolution  was  then  adopt- 
ed by  an  unanimous  vote;  the  whole  of  the  vast  assembly  rising 
in  support  of  the  motion,  and  no  one  ri?ing  in  opposition. 

A  motion  was  made  to  adopt  the  6th  Resolution;  and  there 
were  cries  for  an  adjournment  from  various  parts  of  the  hall; 
and  various  propositions  were  made — some  to  adopt  the  remain- 
ing resolutions  in  a  body. 

Mr.  Gray,  of  St.  John,  said  that  the  discussion  of  the  5th 
Resolution  and  the  proposed  amendment  had  consumed  so  much 
time,  that  no  opportunity  had  been  offered  for  other  parties  to 
speak  than  the  delegates  from  the  Lower  Provinces;  and  he 
thought  courte-sy  required  that  an  adjournment  till  to-morrow 
should  be  agreed  to. 

Mr.  Perley,  of  St.  John,  concurred  in  the  views  of  Mr.  Gray. 

Mr.  Poor,  of  Portland,  said  that  he  was  happy  to  be  able  to 
announce  the  arrival  of  General  Dearborn,  of  Poxbury,  who 
was  now  in  attendance;  and  that  other  gentlemen  were  in  at- 
tendance, from  various  parts  of  the  country,  from  whom  remarks 


100 

might  be  expected,   and  hoped  the  Convention  would  adjourn 
over  till  to-morrow. 

Gen.  Dearborn  rose  and  said, — 

TImt  ho  would  prefer  lliut  the  Conveiitioii  should  jtroreed  and  •uiisii  its  hu/\- 
ness,  without  any  reference  to  hininelf.  That  he  had  been  so  fortunate,  as  to 
hear  a  portion  of  the  speeches  this  afternoon;  and  regretted,  e>:treni(^ly,  that 
ofticial  duties  alone  prevented  his  attendance  upon  all  the  delil)erations  of  the 
Convention.  The  plan  itself  was  grand — yoa,  sublime:  the  route  itself  of  entire 
practicability;  and  if  the  spirit  of  this  meeting  is  at  all  a  representation  of  the 
feeling  of  the  people  of  Maine,  New  Brunswick  and  Nova  Scotia,  it  will  be 
speedily  accomplished. 

Gen  Dearbon's  appearance  and  remarks  were  greet  with 
enthusiastic  cheers;  and  the  Convention  adjourned  till  to-mor- 
row mornning,  at  9  o'clock. 


FRIDAY.  AUGUST  2,  1850. 

[third    DAT.] 

The  Convention  was  called  to  order  at  9  o'clock.  Hon.  Mr. 
Pryor,  Mayor  of  Halifax,  in  the  chair.  His  Excellency,  the 
Governor,  being  necessarily  absent  for  the  remainder  of  the 
se.ssion. 

John  Neal,  Esq.,  of  Portland,  moved  that  the  thanks  of  the 
Convention  are  due  to  the  Hon.  jon.v  Hubbaud,  Governor  of 
Maine,  for  the  impartial  and  dignified  manner  in  which  he  has 
presided  over  its  deliberations;  and  also  for  the  personal  and  of- 
ficial interest  he  has  manifested  in  behalf  of  the  great  object  of 
the  Convention. 

This  motion  was  seconded  by  the  Attorney  General,  Wilmot, 
in  behalf  of  the  whole  New  Brunswick  and  Nova  Scotia  delega- 
tions, and  with  hearty  cheers  was  unatiimously  adopted. 

The  floor  was  soon  after  taken  by  Gen.  Dearborx,  who  was 
received  with  much  applause,  and  at  once  commenced  his  ad- 
dress.    He  spoke  in  substance  as  follows:  — 

Gentlemen  of  New  Brunswick  and  Nova  Scotia,  or  from  whatever  British 
Province  you  may  have  come,  and  from  whatever  country  beyond  our  borders, 
and  citizens  of  the  United  States,  I  feel  deeply  the  compliment  which  you  have 
paid  to  me,  in  adjourning  this  Convention  for  the  purpose  of  hearing  my  remarks; 
but  I  fear  that  you  will  all  be  disappointed  in  your  expectations.     I  feel  utterly 


no 


uiirilili!  to  orcupy  so  large  :i  spacR  ns  is  opt'iicd  by  tlii'  Rcsululioii  iM-fori'  us — a 
Jk'solution  to  ('stablish  a  liigliway  tliat  i-  In  ticcoiiic  tlio  cnmii-ptiiig  link,  and  thfi 
grciit  tlj(imii;'lirirc,  Ix'twccii  Iwd  rcntiin'iiN,  to  do  it  well,  to  do  it  Hpccdily.  1 
fci'l  satisfied  thiit  i»  f«'i  he  done;  I  feel  siiti^^lied  that  it  i/'i'// //f  ^/f>;/c— ami  that, 
old  as  I  uin,  I  may  yet  pass  over  it;  that,  if  tin-  Lord  spares  my  life  for  five 
vears,  I  may  go  to  St.  John,  to  Halifax,  to  Ireiami,  to  London;  and  erossing 
from  Dover  to  Calais,  I  may  go  from  thence  hy  Kailway  to  the  furthest  extremity 
of  Kurope.  (Cheers.)  This  may,  hy  some,  lie  deemed  e.vtravagant;  hut  already 
the  neressary  steps  have  heen  tal.cn  for  theconslrunlion  of  a  railway  from  Calcut- 
ta to  I?oiid)ay,  The  route  from  Calais  to  the  Uosphnrus  may  he  considered  us 
retain,  wilhiii  a  less  nuiid)er  of  years  than  1  have  indicated.  Nor  shall  this  high- 
way of  nations  stop  there;  for  I  helieve  that  some  Stephenson  ina\  yet  arise,  to 
throw  an  iron  arch  across  the  Strait  h('tvveen  Lurope  and  Asia;  and  that  a  visit  to 
the  Kuphrales  may  be,  to  the  traveller,  but  an  ordinary  excursion.     (Cheers.) 

It  is  but  twenty-live  years  since  I  proposed  that  a  railroad  should  be  con- 
structed from  l*>oston  to  the  Hudson;  and  that  a  tunnel  would  be  made  through 
the  IJoosic  Mountain;  for  this,  I  was  termed  an  iJiot!  An  idiot  I  may  be;  but 
the  road  is  made,  and  the  tunnel  through  the  Hoosic  Mountain  is  in  course  of 
construction.  (Cheers.)  Formerly,  scientific  men  dealt  in  abstract  theories; 
now,  we  tlnd  the  woiKtncn  themselves  entering  into  the  halls  of  science,  illus- 
trating theory  hy  practice,  and  teaching  knowledge  to  the  world.  The  time  was, 
when  weaving  was  a  mystery;  dyeing  was  one  of  the  occult  sciences;  and  even 
the  manufacture  of  soap  depended  upon  good  luck  for  a  favorable  result.  But, 
by  the  help  of  ])ractical  science,  all  these  matters  are  now  reduced  to  a  certainty. 

(jientlemeu — I  feel  satisfied  that  this  railway  must  be  constructed.  It  is  true, 
there  are  not  wanting  those  who  doubt  of  its  success.  But  let  not  this  deter  you. 
There  are  not  wanting  those  who  will  doubt  that  the  sun  shines  at  mid-day,  un- 
less they  can  see  it  for  themselves. 

Gentlemen — If  all  do  not  comprehend  the  importance,  the  practicability,  and 
the  profit  of  this  great  project,  there  are  enough  who  do  comprehend,  to  carry  the 
measure  to  a  successful  termination.  It  was  forty  years  after  the  discovery,  by 
Newton,  of  the  theory  of  gravitation,  before  it  could  be  comprehended;  now,  it 
is  practically  understood  by  every  school  boy.  It  is  but  twenty  years  since  the 
British  nation  sustained  the  loss  of  their  statesman,  Huskisson,  struck  down 
hy  a  car  in  England,  in  the  first  passenger  train  that  passed  over  its  iron  rails; 
hut  now,  railways  have  become  the  ordinary  means  of  traffic  and  transportation. 
We  dare  even  to  propose  a  line  to  the  Pacific;  and  it  is  as  certain  that  that  line 
will  be  constructed,  as  that  the  line  now  in  conteinplat'on  will  extend  to  the  At- 
lantic shore  of  Nova  Scotia.     (Cheers.) 

I  well  remember  when  the  construction  of  a  railway,  three  miles  in  length — 
from  a  granite  quarry  in  tiuincy  to  Boston  hay — was  projected;  it  was  esteemed 
a  wonderful  undertaking,  and  looked  upon  as  wild  and  chimerical.  Now,  there 
are  over  7000  miles  of  railroad  in  the  country.  These,  connecting  with  the  pres- 
ent vast  projects,  will  almost  entirely  encircle  the  world.  And  these  plans  will 
he  accomplished,  pither  with  the  aid  of  governments  or  in  spite  of  them,  for  it  is 
not  in  their  power  to  stop  them. 


ill 


All  history  and  nil  pxpprience  hIiow  tliiit  iJio  iiePfri^ilic*  of  roiiiTiiprrc  .'t'ck  out 
the  iiPiircst  and  rthnrtest  routes  for  travel  and  husiucsH.  Culais  and  Dover  have 
been  the  points  of  einiiarkation,  ever  pincc  the  invasion  of  Cn^sar;  and  for  no 
other  reason,  hut  l)ecause  they  were  the  nearest  points  lietween  the  Island  of 
(ireat  liritain  and  the  Continent  of  l^urope.  Cape  tSiuiiuni  was  the  point  of  eon- 
centration  for  the  trade  of  (ireece,  simply  iieeause  it  was  tiie  nearest  point  to 
Egypt. 

Wliy  was  the  Appian  Way  extended  from  Capua  to  Urinidnsiinii,  on  the  Ad- 
riatic (iulf?  15e(-aus;!  that  was  the  nearest  good  harhor  near  the  narrowest  j)iace 
in  the  Adriatic  Sea,  in  the  most  direct  line  Iroin  Rome  to  Constantinople. 

Why  was  the  suspension  hridge  of  Telford  extended  arross  the  Menai  Strait, 
to  the  Island  of  Anglesey;  and  the  still  more  wonderlul  woric  of  modern  times — 
the  Brittania  Hridge  across  the  same  Sirait.'  Uecause  it  was  iu  the  most  direct 
line  from  London  to  Dublin  and  Ireland. 

If  you  will  examine  the  map  of  the  world,  you  will  find  that  in  all  time  past, 
the  points  of  continents  or  islands  which  approach  the  nearest,  have  biMiome  the 
highways  of  their  intercourse  and  commerce.  It  is  for  this  reason  that  I  believe 
that  the  highway  for  the  trade  and  communication  hetween  this  country  and 
Europe  must  be  made  to  the  eastern  coast  of  Nova-Scotia.     ((Cheers.) 

We  read  in  ancient  history,  that  Cato  once  produced  before  the  Roman  Senate 
a  bunch  of  fresh  figs,  taken  from  a  tree  in  Carthage  only  four  days  before  ;  and  I 
shall  see  the  time  when  the  Rose  of  England,  blending  the  colors  of  Vork  and 
Lancaster,  and  plucked  from  the  garden  of  W^indsor,  shall  be  twiiujd  freshly  ia 
America  with  the  beautiful  prairie  flower  "the  Ciueen  of  the  West"  and,  bound 
together  with  the  Lilies  of  Canada,  shall  compose  a  fragent  wreath,  wherewith  to 
crown  the  Statue  of  Concord  in  ilie  Temple  of  Peace  !     (Tremendous  applause.) 

Look  at  the  map  of  America  and  see  who  will  be  benefited  by  the  completion 
of  this  undertaking.' — all  of  us — from  the  country  bordering  on  the  waters  of  the 
St.  Lawrence  and  on  the  Lakes  of  Canada,  to  tiie  feitile  valleys  of  the  Mi.ssisipjii 
and  its  tributary  streams.  There  are  no  less  than  fifteen  States  of  this  Union  di- 
rectly interested  in  the  line,  and  there  are  milli'  ns  upon  this  territory  who  will  be 
rejoiced  at  the  prospect  opened  before  them.  I'ifteen  years  ago,  there  was  one 
small  schooner  for  passengers  on  Lake  Erie  belonging  to  the  Americans — now  the 
country  is  intersected  by  railways,  and  thi!  Lakes  are  covered  with  steamers^ 
Then  we  were  more  widely  separated  from  the  inhabitants  on  the  borders  of  these 
Lakes  than  we  are  now  from  llindostan.     (Cheers.) 

But  not  only  will  the  world  be  benefited  by  the  productions  of  these  fertile  dis- 
stricts  being  widely  distributed  but  by  freedom  of  intercourse  asperities  and  mis- 
understandings between  great  nations  will  be  softened  and  removed,  ami  at  -dl 
events  a  firm  and  lasting  friendship  will  be  produced  between  two  great  nations, 
speaking  the  same  language,  and  advocating  the  same  principles  of  civil  and  re- 
ligious liberty  ;  proud  am  I  that  the  bones  of  my  ancestors  lie  buried  within  the 
shadow  of  the  Cathedral  of  Exeter  ;  and  there  is  not  one  worthy  descendant  of 
the  heroes  of  Runny mede,  wherever  he  may  dwell,  that  I  do  not  look  upon  as  a 
brother.     (Prolonged  cheers.) 


112 


Thi)  (loHtiiiy  of  tlif  Anjjio  Saxons  has  but  coniinenced,  and  more  has  been  dotift 
by  thoiii  for  th(!  world,  for  tlio  noriinioii  cause  of  huriianily,  sinen  my  lioyliood, 
than  during  all  tiiiii;  priicot'ding.  Man  is  learning  to  iniitat(;  hi.-i  Maker,  and  to  do 
good  unto  all  ;  there  i»  no  time  for  vice  ;  occupation  of  the  body  and  the  mind 
j«  necessary  for  tli(!  ag.;  in  which  wo  live.  Could  the  coniniorce  and  industry  of 
England  have  been  fostered  and  protected  but  for  the  honesty  and  integrity  of 
her  Statesmen  ?  She  has  taught  the  nations  that  right  and  justice  must  be  done, 
and  where  ever,  at  homo  or  abroad,  the  flags  of  Knglandand  America  float  upon 
the  breeze,  there  her  subjcK.'ts  and  our  citizens,  and  all  speaking  our  common 
langauge,  are  protected  from  insult  and  from  wrong.     (Cheers.) 

To  project  and  to  execute  works  of  the  descrijition  of  this,  which  we  are  now 
considering,  are  among  the  greatest  of  public  achievements.  Our  ablest  States- 
men have  always  considered  the  construction  of  roads  as  the  means  of  dillusing 
knowledge  and  of  increasing  the  comfort,  wealth,  and  happiness  of  our  country. 
No  sooner  was  peace  declared  than  Oeorge  Washington  devoted  his  time,  talents 
and  industry  to  the  subject,  (iailatin,  and  otii  ^r  able  Statesmen,  have  expressed 
the  same  principles  and  acted  upon  them  ;  and  in  more  recent  times  compuuiet) 
of  wealthy  and  energetic  men  have  carried  out  the  plans  which  Washington  and 
(jiallathi  so  ably  designed  and  projected.     (Cheers.) 

I  was  on  the  spot  where  the  city  of  rJuflalo  now  stands,  when  it  was  a  mere 
village;  and  twenty-five  years  ago  it  was  an  inconsiderable  town  of  about  ,5,000 
inhabitants.  It  Is  now  a  city  numbering  50,000  people.  When  De  Witt  Clin- 
ton first  opened  his  great  canal  to  Butlalo,  that  was  almost  the  extent  to  which 
travellers  could  go  west;  and  the  trade  was  of  scarcely  any  moment,  except  in 
furs  and  in  the  productions  of  the  forest.  Now,  it  is  on  the  way  to  the  granary 
of  the  earth;  and  the  trade  which  reaches  the  Erie  Canal,  from  beyond  it,  is  far 
greater  than  all  it  receives  this  side  of  Uuiralo.  A  few  years  ago,  standing  on  one 
oftheFiors  at  Bufliilo,  and  looking  out  upon  the  vessels  that  moved  upon  the 
Lake,  and  looking  back  upon  the  city,  spreading  itself  upon  the  shore  behind  me, 
I  felt  something  of  a  patriotic  sentiment  arising  within  me,  when  I  thought  how 
iinich  was  due  to  his  memory.  I  thought  if  I  could  have  my  way,  a  collossal 
statute  of  Clinton  should  be  raised  upon  the  pier  that  projects  farthest  into  the 
Lake, — in  the  left  hand  holding  a  scroll  pointing  down  the  line  of  the  Erie  Canal 
— the  right  hand  pointing  westward  to   the  Pacific  shores.    (Tremendous  cheers.) 

The  project  we  are  now  considering  is  one  of  equal  importance  and  the  accom- 
plishment of  which  will  confer  equal  honor  upon  its  authors.  V^ast  as  the  en- 
terprize  is,  it  can  still  be  accomplished. 

We  nuist  prove  that  this  work  can  be  done, — that  it  will,  be  usekul, — 
that  it  WILL  BE  PROFITABLE  ;  and  if  this  can  be  done,  we  need  not  fear  that 
the  means  will  be  wanting. 

The  public  mind  is  already  in  a  great  measure  prepared  for  the  proper  appre- 
ciation of  a  scheme  of  this  international  character.  If  twenty-five  years  ago,  a 
British  Statesmjm  had  risen  in  his  place  in  Parliament,  and  proposed  to  throw  v" 
iron  bridge  across  the  Menai  Stniit,  at  a  cost  of  two  millions,  I  have  no  doubt  tliat 
some  benevolent  physician  would  have  been  ready  with  a  certifcate  of  lunacy, 
and  that  the  gentleman  who  should  be  so  rash  and  credulous  as  to  propose  thi.?. 


113 

and  to  believe  in  the  possibility  of  its  iirf.otiiplishinont,  wotiiil  have  been  promptly 
provided  for  in  an  hospitiil  for  th«!  insane  !  Now  we  have  dared  to  propose  far 
mightier  projects — we  would  lay  the  iron  rail  across  the  broad  continent  of  Aiiierica, 
and  would  stand  upon  the  shores  of  the  Pacific  !  But  think  you  we  shall  only 
stand  upon  its  shores?  No  ;  we  must  build  ships  and  cross  the  waters  to  the  far 
distant  shores  of  China,  and  shall  carry  the  productions  of  that  country  back  to  uh 
and  to  you,  at  its  antipodes.     (Cheers.) 

Gentlemen,  I  am  proud  to  see  among  us  a  gentleman  of  the  naval  service  of 
Great  Britain* — one  who  has  earneil  a  higher  reputation  than  that  which  follows 
upon  victory.  Some  fifteen  years  since,  n  work  was  put  into  my  hand  by  a  friend — 
A  Survey  of  the  Coast  of  Africa  and  the  Persian  Gulf,  by  a  British  Naval  Officer 
— it  was  n  scientific  and  pacific  labour  ;  but  the  service  was  one  of  difficulty  and 
danger,  far  more  appalling  than  the  battles  of  the  Nile  or  of  Trafalgar.  Sickness 
and  death  came  upon  their  expeditition,  recruits  were  obtained  from  England,  but 
man  after  man  fell  victims  to  the  fatal  disease,  until,  at  the  close  of  the  expedition, 
he  alone  of  all  that  first  went  out  upon  it,  he,  of  officers  and  men,  was  the  sole 
survivor!  I  thought,  if  I  were  Sovereign  of  Englantl,  I  would  make  him  an 
Admiral  of  the  White,  under  the  Banner  of  Peace  !  This  duty  was  nobly  done, 
and  many  other  duties  has  he  since  done  for  his  country,  and  yet,  although  time 
has  impaired  his  strength  and  frosted  his  venerable  head,  you  see,  gentlemen,  tha 
he  cannot  remain,  but  has  left  his  home,  in  the  British  Provinces,  and  is  here 
amongst  us,  ready  at  the  call  of  his  country  and  of  the  world,  in  the  front  rank  of 
this  our  enterprise.     (Tremendous  cheers.) 

The  speaker  closed  his  remarks,  of  which  the  reporter  has 
given  but  the  faintest  outline,  with  a  beautiful  sentiment  of  frater- 
nal afTectiou  towards  the  delegates  from  the  Provinces;  and 
concluded  by  expressing  the  prayer,  that  God  would  give  them 
glory,  peace,  riches,  and  happiness. 

Upon  the  conclusion  of  the  speech,  Mr.  Wilmot  sprang  to  his 
feet,  and  proposed  three  cheers  for  Gen.  Dearborn,  which  were 
given  with  the  most  hearty  enthusiasm.  The  speech  was  a  most 
beautiful  and  eloquent  production;  and  so  pleased  with  it  were 
the  delegation  from  New  Brunswick,  that  they  called  upon  Gen. 
D.  in  a  body,  to  express  to  him  their  admiration. 

Three  hearty  and  generous  cheers  were  proposed  and  given 
to  Rear  Admiral  Owen. 

Admiral  Owen  was  here  called  for;  but  declined  speaking, 
on  account  of  the  difficulty  he  had  of  enunciation:  his  heart, 
however,  was  warmly  interested  in  the  enterprize, 

M.  H.  Pbrley,  Esq.,  of  St.  John,  was  then  called  upon. 

Mr.  Perley  said  that  he  felt  embarraesed  in  rising  to  address  the  Conven- 


*Tlie  Admiral  the  Houor&ble  Wm.  Fitzwilliam  Owen. 
15 


114 


tion,  iiflcr  hiicIi  an  outpouring  of  ploquriicc  a»  hatl  nillun  froiii  tlm  lust  fpenknr. 
He  found  hiniHelf  ho  iiiovuil — ho  carriiul  luviiy  with  (ien.  DeurhornV  upccch — 
tliut  iu!  had  nut  had  time  to  recover  hirnitelf,  tto  as  to  do  justice  to  hi«  own  feeble 
jM)wer«  of  speech. 

The  allusion  to  Admiral  Owen,  anil  various  other  topics  referred  to,  hud  touch- 
ed in  him,  ns  well  as  in  older  men,  the  *<  fountain  of  tears;"  and  he  could  never 
Huiiiciently  thank  (Jen.  I),  for  the  pleasure  which  liii  speech  had  afforded. 

Mr.  Periey  then  pointed  out,  upon  the  great  map  suspended  in  the  roar  of  the 
President's  chair,  all  the  various  localities  referred  to  during  the  progress  of  the 
Convention,  and  showed  the  routes  surveyed  for  the  lines  from  St.  John  to  Hali- 
fax; and  the  various  lines  surveyed  for  the  Quebec  and  Halifax  Railway,  ex- 
tending from  Whitehaven  to  Ciuebec  and  Montreal. 

He  then^pointed  out  the  peculiar  localities  of  New  Brunswick,  in  reference  to 
its  agricultural  resources,  its  mineral  treasures,  and  the  products  of  the  forest. 

New  Brunswick  has  an  extent  of  between  26,000  and  26,000  square  miles. 
Its  population  is  estimated  at  210,000.  It  contains  about  18,000,000  of  acres  of 
land;  or  a  territory  of  very  nearly  the  same  extent  as  Ireland.  Of  this  land,  a 
very  large  portion  of  it  is  of  the  most  productive  character,  and  capable  of  sus- 
taining as  dense  a  population  as  any  portion  of  the  \  orld. 

Of  this  18,000,000  of  acres,  about  6,000,000  of  it  had  baen  granted;  leaving 
12,000,000  of  acres  at  the  disposal  of  the  Government.  These  12,000,000  acres 
are  UDgranted,  unfettered,  free  of  debt  or  mortgage,  and  are  ready  to  be  made 
available  in  carrying  forward  the  great  plan  contemplated  by  this  Convention. 
Of  the  granted  lands,  only  600,000  acres,  or  one-thirtysevei.th  part  of  the  whole 
territory,  are  under  cultivation.  Agriculture,  he  admittetl,  was  very  !)ackward  in 
that  Province;  but  it  possessed  resources  of  great  extent,  abounding,  as  it  does, 
in  the  most  valuable  timber  trees,  which  flourish  there  in  great  perfection. 

Mr.  Periey  then  gave  some  statistics  of  the  trade  of  the  Province.  The  city  of 
St.  John  contains  about  35,000  inhabitants. 

The  Imports  into  St.  John,     in  1848,  were      £588.422  sterling. 
««    Exports  from       "  "  "         X588.466 

The  Imports,  in  1848,  into  St.  Andr  wn  and  its  out  bays  were  £  10.986  stig. 
The  FAports,  in  1848,        "         "  "   .  00.733   " 

Total  for  1848— Imports,     £629.408  sterling. 
Exports,     £639.199        '• 
The  tonnage  arruing  in  all  the  Ports  of  the  Province  in  1848. 
Vessels  Tons. 

3,034  467,393 

The  outwanl  Tonnage  in  1848. 

2,978  463.309 

Vessels  built  in  New  Brunswick,  iu  1847. 


No. 
115 

No. 
86 


Tonnage. 
53,372 


Vessels  built  in  1848. 


Tonnage. 
22,793 


115 


Mr.  IV-rlcy  pronceded  to  givu  soiiin  statwtic*  of  the  Fwhurip*  of  tln'  (Julf  of  rit. 
Ijiwrence.  These  weru  the  lllo^t  valuiible  Fishorii-H  in  the  world.  Thoy  are 
now  carried  on  ptiiui|)ally  hj  citizeii.s  of  France  and  the  I'nited  States.  From 
seven  hundred  to  uight  hundred  i^ail  of  American  fit>hiiig  vei>!ieli4  enter  the  (juif  of 
Ht.  Lawrence  annually. 

A  railway  from  rfhediac  to  the  port  of  rft.  Joiui,  which  in  open  all  seasons  of 
the  year,  would  enahle  the  various  products  of  the  fwherie:*  to  reach  a  port  of 
shipment  in  four  huuro;  and  the  ner«'s.sity  for  the  long  voyage  around  Nova  Sco- 
tia to  he  avoided. 

But  adopting  the  proposed  line,  we  put  ourselves  in  coniiiiunication  with  the 
extensive  fishing  interest,  on  the  gulf  of  St.  Lawrence,  with  which  American  nav- 
igation is  so  largely  connected.  The  gut  of  C'aiiso,  opening  into  the  gulf,  is  hut 
Haifa  mile  wide,  and  to  show  the  extent  of  America  fisheiies  there,  he  remarked 
that  more  than  2000  sail  of  .\mericnn  fishing  vessels  paid  light  house  duties  at  the 
gnt  last  season.  When  this  railroad  is  constructed  vessels  could  winter  there,  and 
thus  save  the  voyage  to  and  from  port,  which  materially  detracts  from  the  profits 
of  the  voyage,  while  the  vessels  would  be  upon  the  ground  early,  a  circumstance 
having  the  most  important  bearing  on  the  success  and  profits  of  the  fishing  trade. 

The  fresh  salmon,  packed  in  ice,  now  sent  from  St.  John  to  Boston  by  the 
steamers,  by  means  of  a  railway  could  be  sent  in  prime  condition,  in  one  day's 
time,  to  New  York  and  the  principal  cities  of  the  United  States. 

Mr.  Ferley  gave  a  large  amount  of  additional  statistical  in- 
formation, and  his  remarks  were  listened  to  with  the  most  care- 
ful attention  and  received  with  hearty  cheers. 

Hon,  Charles  Fisher  of  Fredericton,  a  member  of  the 
Executive  Council  of  New  Brunswick,  was  the  next  speaker 

called  out. 

Mr.  FsHER  gave  his  views  as  to  the  feasibility  of  the  undertaking,  and  like- 
wise as  to  the  effect  it  would  have  m  binding  in  closer  alTinity  the  two  countries^ 
He  knew  the  growing  interest  that  was  felt  by  each  in  the  other's  institutions  and 
welfare — referred  to  the  anxiety  evinced  in  New  York,  some  two  years  ago, 
when,  amidst  the  overturn  and  commotion  that  was  going  on  in  the  governments 
of  the  old  world,  fears  were  entertained  for  the  stability  of  the  British  Govern- 
ment. Stocks  fell  in  Wall-street, — all  was  gloom — but  when  the  arrival  of  the 
steamer  made  known  that  the  predicted  outbreak  of  the  10th  of  April  had 
proved  impotent,  so  far  us  the  government  was  concerned,  how  that  gloom  was 
turned  to  congratulations  and  rejoicings.  This  had  come  under  his  own  obser- 
vation He  spoke  of  the  institutions  of  both  countries  as  having  had  their  rise 
in  the  institutions  of  Alfred.  "Yours  is  a  government  of  public  opinion,"  he 
exclaitUed,  "so  is  ours.  Both  have  the  same  object — the  greatest  good  of  the 
greatest  number." 

He  apoke  in  a  beautiful  and  impressive  manner  on  the  moral 
influeuce  of  the  Convention,  and  was  cheered  with  great  enthu- 
siasm . 


116 


siri 


A  call  was  then  made  on  Hon.  F.  O.  J.  Smith,  who  spoke  in 
substance  as  follows: 

Mr.  Smith  miid,  we  nil  know,  and  fei-l  flie  peat  amount  ortlmnkK  due  to  the 
able  dclogiites  from  the  neighboring  ProvinceB,  for  the  iniitnictive  and  intereating 
information  and  enlarged  vieww  they  ha\e  uflbrdod  thiH  Convention  on  yesterday 
and  the  preceding  day  ;  and  I  need  not  attempt  to  add  to  the  general  exproHHion 
of  obligations  felt  towards  thone  gentlemen.  But,  Sir,  I  feci  a  profound  regret 
personally  in  having  been  deprived  unavoidably  this  morning,  of  listening  to 
the  eloquent  speech  of  the  Honorable  gentleman  from  Maiu*achu8ctti,  (Gen. Dear- 
born) who  bus,  as  I  learn  from  all  sides  of  the  Hull,  and  from  all  classes  out- 
doors, done  honor  to  his  Btate,  and  honor  to  himself,  and  afforded  the  highest  sat- 
isfaction to  all  who  had  the  opportunity  of  listening  to  him.  Although  not  strict- 
ly a  citizen  of  Portland  myself,  yet,  as  her  neighbor  and  her  friend,  I  do  feel  jus- 
tified in  returning  most  heartfelt  thanks  in  behalf  of  our  city  to  the  honorable  gen- 
tleman from  the  Old  Bay  State — the  parent  of  Maine — for  his  great  good  service, 
rendered  on  this  occnsion.  Nay,  more  ;  I  congratulate  not  only  the  citizens  of 
Portland — not  only  the  citizens  of  Maine — not  only  the  citizens  of  New  Eng- 
land, but  the  citizens  also,  of  all  the  States  of  this  Union,  and  of  the  British 
Government,  on  the  proud  promises  of  this  occasion.  In  the  annals  of  man- 
kind— since  the  first  dawn  of  civilization,  there  has  not  been  a  spectacle  that  sur- 
passes in  moral  and  political  grandeur — or  that  ought  to  surpass  in  moral  and 
practical  efforts,  the  exhibition  which  the  three  memorable  days  of  this  Conven- 
tion have  mode  to  the  world.  Were  all  the  blootl  shed  at  Calvary,  and  which 
then  was  taken  up  as  by  an  universal  ntmospherc,  and  diffused  throughout  the 
world  of  man,  and  which  has  since  circulated  through  the  veins  of  all  thedifferent 
races  of  our  kind,  were  to  be  gathered  into  one  stream  and  poured  out  here  upon 
your  table,  as  upon  n  common  altar,  the  evidence  of  kindly  feeling,  the  spirit  of 
"peace  on  earth  and  good  will  towards  men,"  could  not  be  more  satisfactorily 
impersonated  by  it,  than  has  been  exhibited  here,  on  this  occasion.  Sir,  consid- 
erations of  higher  influence,  of  greater  value  than  the  mere  construction  of  a  Rail- 
road have  presented  themselves  and  impressed  themselves  upon  the  feelings  and 
hearts  of  us  all  who  have  been  in  attendance  here  ;  and  if  no  Rail-road,  such  as  has 
been  sanctioned  by  the  voice  of  this  Convention  should  ever  be  constructed,  I  shooJd 
consider  that  we  have  all  been  gainers  by  the  manifestations,  and  better  knowl- 
edge of  each  other  which  this  occasion  has  made.  It  has  bound  together  as  in  a 
new  marriage,  the  citizens  of  differ  int  nations,  and  as  was  well  proclaimed  by  a 
previous  speaker,  what  has  beca  joii'tjd  together  in  the  presence  of  both  God  and 
man,  let  no  man  hereafler  put  asu  ^der.     (Cheers.) 

Mr.  President,  it  is  unnecessary  for  me  to  attempt  to  elacidate  by  details,  or 
statistics  the  magnitude  of  the  benefits,  or  the  promising  characteristics  of  the  great 
enterprise  before  us.  It  is  enough  for  me  to  know — it  is  enough  for  the  business 
men  and  capitalists,  on  both  sides  of  the  Atlantic,  to  appreciate  that  it  is  a  proposi- 
tion to  save  one  fifth  part  of  the  time,  hitherto  employed  in  making  a  business  inter- 
commonication  between  the  great  markets  of  the  world.  This  twenty  per  cent. 
saving  is  consideration  enough,  and  of  itself,  to  insure  success  to  this  project,  at  an 


117 


in 

the 
ting 


ttrnly  day.  Il  in  iiii  iiiJucehiPiil  MUtHcii'nt  to  onl'ut  \\\e  syiii|iattiii"t,  ami  attrurt 
the  attL'utiiiii  of  thi."  vvliolc  romiiifrri  il  world.  .\nd  iho  work  is  om?  of  w  hicli  all 
may  III-  prniid  U>  aid  in  ron-iiiiiiiiatiiig. 

Truuit  in,  when  wo  conttMiiplatu  tht  worki  ol  art  of  niirient  day*,  we  are  over- 
wht'lniL'd  with  asloiii^ih'iii'iit.  .Ah  wi;  tr;i('i>  on  tlit>  |iag)'A  of  hi.storv,  the  dinii'ti- 
xioii!*,  and  cont)>ni|>lat<>  tlu!  gi.iiit  |>ro|)t)rtir)n.'4,  of  tlx'jic  nionuiiii'iit^tof  human  iiiduM- 
try,  |)ilfd  up  like  priiiicval  niouutnini)  in  thn  «hap<>  «f  iiioundi,  and  roluiinm,  niul 
wulirt  urdi'fciii't',  and  IrniplcH  crertpd  to  unknown  godn — and  olicli^kH  to  ih*- 
memory  uf  morlulit  wIiohu  nanicc  and  iiu'tnory  havi>  been  hloltfd  iVoiii  both  liiHto- 
ry  and  luaguagu — and  for  a  monu'at  we  almost  wirth  we  could  have  lietniborn  un- 
to concepliouH  thuH  ulupiindouH.  That  wt-  lould  have  lived  in  days  thu.'i  signaliz- 
ed bv  great  works  of  art  and  industry. 

For  a  inoniunt,  we  feel  as  if  wo  were  but  pigmies  compared  with  the  ancient 
races  of  men — that  our  great  works  coniijarcd  with  these  vestiges  of  their  great 
works,  are  but  as  artificial  mole  bills  to  natural  mountains. 

But,  Sir,  let  us  pause  in  tliLs  comparison.  The  true  distinrtiim  of  grratiiesf — 
he  real  characteristics  of  sublimity  lie  not  in  thn  material  proportions  of  things^ 
hut  in  their  spiritual  power,  to  produce  great  moral  and  useful  results.  The  tiny 
teeth  of  the  noiseless  tield-mouse,  that  gnaw  asunder  the  cord  that  binds  the  lion, 
are  greater  for  the  purposes  of  freedom,  than  the  strength  of  the  lion  himself 

The  little  hillock  of  moveable  earth  that  produces  the  grain,  on  which  the  stall- 
ed o.v  is  fed,  is  far  more  potent  to  sustain  all  the  results  that  depend  on  human 
life,  than  the  island  of  rock  that  has  withstood  the  surges  of  the  ocean,  from  the 
dawn  of  creation  until  our  own  day  !   (Cheers.) 

Sir,  what  were  these  mounds,  and  columns  of  ancient  days — even  the  walls, 
like  unto  the  vestiges  and  iiistory  of  Nincvah  and  Babylon,  in  point  of  utility  and 
moral  power,  compared  with  the  shortest  Rail-road  of  our  own  day,  out  of 
which  one  steam  locomotive  only  has  had  a  birth  and  employment  ? 

Is  there  one  additional  ray  of  divinity  traceable  to  the  hearts  of  the  race  ofiiian. 
from  any  of  these  massive  works  of  ancient  art,  oxer  v  hich  the  brows  of  tliou- 
8and.4  must  have  sweated,  and  the  hearts  of  thousands  must  have  fainted  from 
toil  ? 

Sir,  so  far  as  we  know,  they  express  nothing  but  the  tyranny  of  some  despot 
over  his  subjugated  fellow-men — evidences  of  the  terrors  of  power  to  intimidate 
the  oppressed.  No  one  impress  of  divinity  was  upon  them — they  served  but  the 
purposes  of  a  temporary  human  pride — they  contributed  nothing  to  ennoble  or  dig- 
nify 'luman  nature — and  hence  they  crumbled  back  into  dust  with  their  vain 
glorious  authors,  or  fell  beneath  the  neglect  which  awaits  the  heartless  and  soul- 
less creations  of  individual  ambition  and  vanity  every  where,  and  in  every  age. 

Mr.  President,  it  was  left  for  our  age,  if  not  for  our  particular  generation,  to 
exercise  and  enjoy  that  new  birth  to  man  in  this  world,  and  on  this  side  of  the 
grave,  which  adds  more  than  four-fold  power  and  four-fold  duration  to  his  previ- 
ous existence,  which  makes  him  a  divinity,  where  before  he  was  but  humanity. 
The  ancients  builded  their  huge  piles  of  matter,  as  th  j  enduring  evidences  of  their 
greatness  and  skill.  We,  of  this  day,  reason  ui  an  opposite  direction,  and  reduce 
matter,  but  enlarge  mind.     Wc  look  at  the  spirituality  of  things,  and  their  ability 


m 


118 

to  produce  gri'dt  moral  ni:d  physical  ;       \j.     As  has  been  heautifully  exprosged 
by  one  of  ihe  guhlirncst,  if  not  niost  sublime  of  living  Eng'ish  poets  : 

••  Wf  live  in  ilrnln,  lua  years  ;  la  tli()ii};lits,  iiol  liieullis  ; 
in  ri'C'lin(.'s,  nol  in  tlj^iires  on  ii  di^il. 
We  >ti()Mlil  coum  lime  hy  heait-tlirnlw.    Ho  most  lives 
Will)  tlilnk«niost— feelH  tlie  nobleat— acts  Die  beht  !" 

iMr.  I'rcsiuent,  this  new  birth  of  powor  which  intellect  has  br.aght  forth  increa- 
HOH  the  lives  of  men  as  our  fathers  before  us  knew  not  how  to  increase  the  length 
of  their  lives.  Tor  what  else  is  the  true  measure  of  life,  but  the  power  and 
tnoans  of  aconmplishing  llie  gr-'atest  amount  of  good  and  great  results  ?  If  a  man 
has  learned  how  to  accomplisi."  fourfold  as  much  labor  in  a  given  length  of  time — 
to  travel  and  return  over  foi.rfi>id  more  distance  in  a  given  length  of  time  than  ho 
could  previously,  fo;  all  the  practical  purposes  of  life,  he  lengthens  out  his  exis- 
tence in  a  like  ratio.  x"!.^  use  .,  steam  power  and  the  rail-road  enables  him  to 
do  this.  And  haii  the  Ahiiighly  in  h- ,  wisdom,  when  he  permitted  our  race  thus 
t  -  increase  the  duration  of  their  cxistencL,  and  their  physical  powers  for  practical 
re^ubs, '  nt  rescivtd  on  increasing,  for  thi<  purpose  *he  nniscular  rtalure  of  man 
to  a  proportionably  greater  size,  instead  of  accompIisliin<^  'His  result  by  "♦Ibrta  of 
mind,  what  giants  would  we  be  now,  walking  to  and  fro  upon  the  earth  !  Why, 
the  prcse  it  generation  of  man,  as  we  nov\  see  them,  would  be  but  pigmies  com- 
pared witli  this  new  creation  of  muscular  form  and  power  !  JJui  il.en — and  this 
shows  how  vain  and  foolish  is  the  wisdom  of  human  devices  when  assuming  to 
improve  upon  tho  wise  ordinances  of  Divine  Providence — ikcn,  what  an  utter 
wreck  would  li.ue  been  made,  for  all  practical  -.;es,  of  uil  the  past  industry  and 
the  appointments  f  r  .social  conveniences  of  the  human  race.  To  giants  such  as 
we  then  should  have  become,  our  dwellings  would  become  mere  dog  kennels, 
Oui  imple:.ients  of  labor  would  beusoless  toys,  fit  only  for  children's  amusements. 
The  entire  streets  of  our  cities  would  scarcely  answer  for  i-'ide-walks,  for  the 
strides  of  our  footsteps  to  and  fro  would  be  desolation  to  most  things  existi'ig  un- 
der the  present  condition  of  our  race.  Nay,  an  entire  farm  would  be  scarcely 
equal  for  the  graves  of  a  single  generation  of  owners.  But,  Sir,  it  is  mind,  not 
matter,  that  distinguishes  our  generation.  Archimedes,  the  most  renowned  I'.iath- 
eniatician  and  geometrician  of  older  times,  boasted,  on  discovering  the  power  and 
principles  of  tile  wheel,  and  pulley,  and  lever,  that  he  could  lift  and  move  the 
world,  if  he  could  l)Ui  Inve  a  fulcrum  outside  of  it  on  which  to  rest  his  hver. 
Well  might  he  boast,  at  that  day,  of  his  great  discoveries.  And  he  thougb-tj  too, 
that  in  them  he  had  exhausted  all  the  jiowers  of  mechanics  and  of  science.  But, 
Sir,  had  Archimedes  lived  in  our  day,  he  could  have  been  taught  how  to  find  in 
the  brain,  and  the  strong,  determined  heart  .)f  man,  both  the  lever  and  the  fi'l- 
cruin,  by  whici.,  while  standing  upon  the  face  of  the  caith  itself,  he  cun  move  it 
to  and  fro,  like  a  Oivinity  !     (Repeated  cheers.) 

Sir,  I  am  cont';nt — nay,  lam  rejoiced  to  live  in  these  times — in  our  own  days. 
I  envy  not  tht!  greatness,  nor  the  enjoyments  of  other  days,  or  of  other  races. 
Even  if  we  sho'iM  fail  to  construct  the  great  work  now  proposed — which  is  to 
closely  connect,  not  simply  great  markets  of  one-  continent,  with  ^eat  markets  o' 
another  continent — but  which  will  connect  ti.e  Gn.>JAT  heart  that  is  represent- 


119 


"(1  //icrc—( pointing  to  the  Ainerinin  flag  whinli  was  suspciulcd  c;;  oncsidi-  i-f  liie 
Hall)  with  tlie  otiuT  OFtEAT  heart  that  is  rc,.r'.-scnti'il  thorc — (pointing  to  the 
British  flag  tlwt  was  suspciided  on  another  side  of  the  Hall)  of  which  I  ontertain 
no  doubt  and  no  fear — '  still  venture  to  say,  there  i.'^  not  a  man  who  has  partiri- 
pated  in  thtje  procoedir<r»,  without  feeling  thankful,  R;iil-road,  or  no  Rail-road, 
that  this  Convti.il'ni  .is  bc^n  holden.  It  has  been  fortunate  in  all  its  oirnunistaii- 
ces,  and  it  cannot  but  be  fortunate  in  al'  its  results. 

Mr.  Smith's  rcinaiks  were  received  with  the  utmost  enthusi- 
asm, and  repeated  cheers. 

A  call  was  then  made  upon  the  Hon.  J.  B,  Uniacke,  whose 
appearance  was  warmly  applauded. 

Mr.  Uniackb  said  he  regretted  that  he  should  have  been  absent  yester- 
day, whi,n  the  vote  was  taken  on  the  question  cf  the  route.  He  was  drsirous 
of  recording  liis  name  in  favor  of  the  continuous  land  route ;  and  therefore  heartily 
concurred  in  the  result  to  which  the  Convention  had  arrived. 

The  Hon.  Mr.  Fairbanicsand  himself  represented  the  interest  that  formerly  ad- 
vocated 'he  Quebec  and  Halifax  Railroad.  He  would  therefo.-*!  lay  upon  the 
table  copies  of  the  Report  of  Capts.  Robi.ison  and  Henderson,  and  a  copy  of  the 
Survey  in  detail,  wit!  profile  "f  the  line  from  Halifax  to  the  boundary  of  N. 
Brunswick.  The.-'j  i.  ji.ients  he  would  place  at  the  service  of  the  Convention^ 
for  the  use  of  such  of  the  Committee  as  might  be  appointed. 

He  complim-  .ited  in  a  modt  ft-rvent  manner  the  speech  of  Mr.  Rantoul,  deliv- 
ered Wednesday.  He  thought  the  selection  of  the  name — Tur.  Eukotean  .mvd 
North  American  TIailway — most  fortunate  for  the  success  of  the  enter- 
prise. He  referied  to  th'  past  and  present  condition  of  England  and  America, 
hi  relation  to  each  other  :  they  who  had  been  long  severed  were  now,  with  mind^ 
enlightened  and  refined,  being  brought  together  a?ain.  Mr.  Uniacke  alluded  in 
very  feeling  and  beautiful  terms  to  Ireland,  which  had  been  stricken  down  by 
poverty  and  famine ;  by  this  movement,  it  would  be  brought  into  union  with  a 
laud  of  plenty;  and  joy  would  thrill  through  the  hearts  of  Irishmen  wlw.n  the  At- 
lantic steamers  shall  fi'sl  appear  in  their  waters. 

Here  was  a  mode  pointed  out,  by  which  the  British  nation  could  do  something 
foi  Ireland.  The  scheme  of  Lord  George  Bentinck  was  one  of  benevolence  and 
humanity;  but  it  involved  too  great  .<m  outlay  for  the  ends  lo  be  secured.  If  that 
great  statesman  a'.'i  good  man  were  now  alive,  here  was  a  schcue  that  would  at 
once  have  enlisted  his  sympathies  and  his  exertions. 

The  completion  of  the  line  from  EAubliii  to  Galway,  must  change  the  course  of 
emigrant  travel ,  and  here  was  a  scheme  that  would  favor  a  judicious  system  of 
emigration  and  colonization. 

Mr.  Uniacke  would  refer  to  the  Reports  and  papers  he  had  laid  upon  the  table, 
if  there  was  time,  to  show  that  the  whole  scheme  was  practicable  and  feasible, 
lialifu.v  might  be  the  terminus  at  first;  but,  eventually,  the  line  must  run  to  Can- 
so — and  even  across  the  Gut  of  Canso  to  the  shore  of  Cape  Breton.  Many  had 
co.itio.erted  the  proposition  laid  down  in  the  Portland  pamphlet,  that  the  Gut  of 
Canso  could  be  passed  by  a  bridge,    lie  hud  no  doubt  upon  the  subject.    It  could 


120 


be  done ;  and  it  would  sit  somn  time  or  other  lie  accomplished.  If  the  kuiii  of 
two  millions  of  pounds  can  be  expended  to  gain  twelve  miles  of  Railway  be- 
tween England  and  Ireland,  can  any  one  doulif,  that  a  saving  of  sixty  miles  of 
water  carriage  between  Europe  a..d  America,  will  be  hereafter  !ittencd.  He 
believed  that  the  bridging  of  the  Gut  of  Canso  could  be  effected  cheaper  than  the 
Menai  Strait. 

Probably  Halifax  would  at  the  outset  be  selected  as  the  Eastern  terminus. 
The  route  from  Halifax  to  the  New  Bniiiswick  line  would  pay;  and  in  fact, 
throughout  its  whole  extent  from  Halifax  to  Bangor  he  believed  it  would  be  a 
paying  route,  and  that  it  would  be  built  if  these  whom  he  addressed  would  make 
a  long  pull,  a  strong  pull,  and  a  pull  altogether.  He  pledged  his  aid  and  influ- 
ence in  every  manner  in  which  it  could  be  exerted  to  promote  the  interests  of  the 
enterprise. 

Mr.  Uniacke's  remarks  were  heartily  cheered  throughout. 

The  papers  referred  to,  particularly  noted  by  I.^r.  Uniacke  are 
here  inserted.  The  distance  from  Halifax,  by  Truro  and  Am- 
herst to  Bay  Verte,  at  ii!;e  line  of  New  Brunswick  is  124  miles. 
The  only  obstacle  in  this  -I'ne  is  the  range  of  the  Cobequid  Hills. 

"These,"  according  to  Muj. /tobinson's  Report,  "  extend  all  along  the  no 
shore  of  the  Bay  of  jNliuas,  and  very  nearly  across,  but  not  quite,  to  the  shore  ai 
the  Htraits  of  Northumberland.  In  breadth,  the  range  preserves  nearly  an  uni- 
form width  of  about  ten  miles.  In  altitude,  the  hills  average  from  800  to  1,000 
feet.  The  lowest  point,  after  a  careful  survey,  was  found  to  be  ai  the  Folly 
Lake,  six  hundred  feet  above  the  sea.  This  range  can  be  avoided  and  passed  by 
tJie  Whitehaven  and  direct  route,  but  must  be  surmounted  and  crossed  over  by 
the  Halifax  and  eastern  line,  (route  No.  2.) 

The  prevailing  rocks  are  granite,  porphyry  and  clay  slate,  in  the  upper  por- 
tions; along  the  shore  of  the  Bay  of  Minas,  and  on  the  northern  side,  the  forma- 
tion is  of  the  red  sandstone  and  the  coal  measures. 

This  range  abounds  with  the  most  valuable  minerals,  of  which  a  large  mass  of 
specular  iron  ore,  of  unequalled  richness,  occurs  close  to  the  line,  and  only  re- 
quires facility  of  carriage  for  bringing  coals  to  the  spot,  to  he  worked  with  profit. 

A  large  portion  of  this  tract  still  remains  igranted;  and  timber  of  excellent 
growth,  with  abundance  of  the  finest  stone  for  building  purposes,  are  to  be  met 
with;  and,  still  belonging  to  the  Crown,  can  be  had  for  the  expense  of  labor  only." 

Capt.  Hendeison  gives  the  result  of  the  surveys  from  Halifax 
to  Bay  Verte,  as  follows,  viz: 

"Commencing  at  Halifax,  the  comparative  advantages  of  having  the  terminus 
in  the  city  which  is  situated  on  the  western  shore  of  the  harbour,  or  in  the  village 
of  Dartmouth,  which  is  on  the  eastern  side,  and  immediately  opposite  the  city, 
becomes  a  matter  of  detail  for  future  consideration. 

From  Dartmouth  the  line  passes  through  the  broken  chain  of  land  wliich  runs 
paralell  with  the  south-east  coasts  of  Nova  Scotia  by  the  valley   formed 


lley 


by 


121 


( Imin  of  lakes  which  extend  from  Dartnicuth  to  the  Great  Shubenacadie   Lakt-,  a 
distance  of  about  twenty'  miles. 

Tiu!  highlands  come  in  pretty  close  to  the  lakes  on  both  sides,  leaving  here  and 
there  narrow  flats  alo'ig  their  borders.  The  rock  is  chiefl.  slate,  and  along  the 
l)ottom  of  the  valley  are  large  qnantities  oi  loose  fragments  of  rock  from  the  ad- 
jacent hills,  boulders,  gravel,  &c. 

The  gradients  on  tins  portion  of  the  line  which  has  been  calculated  chiefly  from 
the  sections  made  f  )r  the  Shuijcnacailii-  Canal,  which  was  intended  to  follow  this 
chain  of  lakes,  will  be  favourable,  though  from  the  rocky  and  broken  character  of 
the  ground,  it  will  be  probably  expensive. 

For  the  first  nine  miles  the  line  follows  the  western  shores  of  the  lakes.  Tile 
lulls  are  a  short  distance  back,  leaving  a  stripe  of  irregular  low  ground  inde.ited 

ith  bays,  the  water  in  which  is  shallo"-. 

The  summit  level  is  at  the  south  end  of  Lake  Charles,  from  which  the  water 
flows  into  the  Shubenacadie.  The  Dartmouth  Lakes,  the  first  of  the  chain,  empty 
themselves  into  Halifax  harbour,  being  65  feet  above  high  water,  the  rise  from 
them  to  the  sunnnit  level  Lake  Charles  is  only  25  feet,  the  distance  being  one  mile. 

After  reaching  the  northern  extremity  of  Lake  William,  nine  miles  from  Dart- 
mouthy  the  line  crosses  to  the  eastern  shores  of  Lake  Thomas,  the  next  in  the 
chain,  and  hence  by  the  shores  of  Lake  Fletcher  to  the  grand  Lake. 

The  western  shores  of  these  two  lakes  are  bold  and  rocky,  with  deep  water. 
The  eastern  are  easy  as  respect  cuivatures,  and  the  water  is  shallow,  should  it  be 
necessary  to  build  into  them. 

The  railway,  will,  however,  probably  interfere  witli  tha  present  line  of  road. 

Should  the  terminus  be  in  the  city  of  Halifax,  the  line  thence  would  join  one 
coming  from  Dartmouth  at  the  northern  extremity  of  Fletcher's  Lake,  fifteen  miles 
from  Dartmouth,  and  nineteen  from  Halifax.  The  latter  would  be  consetiucntly 
the  longest  by  four  miles. 

The  summit  level  in  the  line  from  Halifax  between  the  waters  flowing  into  Hal- 
ifax Harbour  and  those  falling  into  the  Shubenacadie,  is  232  feet  above  tide-water 
in  the  former.     The  gradients  will  be  consequently  more  severe. 

For  the  first  seven  miles  after  leaving  Halifax,  the  hue  follows  the  shores  of  the 
Bedford  Basin,  a  portion  of  Halifax  Harbour,  which  are  broken  and  rocky.  To 
obtain  curves  of  half  a  mile  radius,  heavy  enihi.nkments  will  be  necessary  across 
the  deep  bays  ;  for  the  remainder  the  expense  and  dilHcultics  will  be  about  the 
same  with  a  line  following  the  Lakes. 

After  leaving  Bedford  Basin,  the  line  ascends  the  valley  of  the  Sackville  River 
ior  about  three  miles.  On  the  east  side  of  this  valley  is  the  ridge  of  land  separat- 
i:',  the  Halifax  and  Shubenacadie  waters. 

The  most  favourable  point  ascertained  for  crossing  this  is  about  5  1-4  miles  from 
the  head  of  the  Basin,  and  is  232  feet  above  its  water.  The  heaviest  grade  in- 
volved to  reach  this  will  be  Tjrty -three  feet  per  mile  for  three  tniles.  It  will  also 
involve  a  heavy  embankment,  about  700  feet  long,  between  the  summit  level  and 
the  shores  of  the  Long  Lake,  fiom  which  it  will  descend  to  the  north  end  of  Lake 
Fletcher,  by  the  valley  of  the  Rawdom  River,  where  it  joins  the  line  from  Dart- 
mouth. 


122 


BiUweon  the  north  end  of  FIuIiIkt's  Lake  and  the  pomt  where  the  line  will 
strike  the  firand  Shiiliiinacadie  Lake,  are  tiiree  ridgea  projecting  into  the  Lake, 
which  will  recjuire  to  be  cut  through  ;  the  two  next  the  Grand  iiake  being  about 
thirty  feet  deep.  Thence  it  follows  the  shore  of  the  Crand  Lake  for  about  three 
cjuatrrs  of  a  mile.  The  highland  comes  out  close  on  the  Luke,  but  the  water  is 
shallow. 

Leaving  the  Lake  shore  at  the  17  1-2  mile  it  crosses  to  the  west  shore  of  the 
Gasporean  Lake.  There  is  a  low  ridge  between  the  two  which  will  reijuire  cut- 
ting. 

It  will  be  necessary  to  carry  the  line  along  the  shallow  wuteronthe  west  shore 
of  the  Gaspereau  Lake,  leaving  which  it  again  strikes  the  shores  of  the  Grand 
Lake  at  Sandy  Cove,  and  follows  it  for  a  half  mile  to  the  outlet  of  the  Shubenac- 
adie  River,  which  flows  into  the  Bay  of  Fundy. 

After  leaving  the  Grand  Lake,  the  lino  for  nineteen  miles  follows  the  general 
course  of  the  valley  of  the  Shubenacadie  River,  as  far  as  the  mouth  of  the  Ste- 
wiacke  River. 

About  .  '■  'Vs  from  the  Grand  Lake,  it  crosses  the  Shubenacadie  River,  and 
then  followa  •  'em  side  of  the  valley,  which  comes  in  with  an  easy  slope  to 

the  river,  and  >  no  obstruction.     An   embankment  of  some  eight  or  ten  fee^ 

will  be  required  across  the  valley  oC  the  Nine  Jlile  River,  from  which,  to  Barney's 
Brook,  at  the  27tli  mile,  the  valley  is  brpad  ar.d  open,  and  nearly  flat,  and  thence 
for  a  mile  it  will  l)e  on  the  level  margin  of  the  river. 

At  this  place.  Black  Rock  Point,  the  laud  runs  out  high  upon  the  river  on  both 
sides.  A  cuffing  will  bo  neces.-:ary  on  the  eastern  side,  about  thirty  feet  deep  and 
a  tpiarter  of  a  mile  long. 

The  rock  being  Plaisfer-of-Paris,  wifha  coveringof  clay,  it  will  be  easily  quar- 
ried. The  line  then  crosses  the  river,  the  valley  of  which  is  crooked  below  this 
point,  and  passes  through  the  highland  on  the  western  side  by  a  grade  of  about 
thirty  fe  t  per  mile,  for  less  than  a  mile,  and  thence  descends  into  a  broad  flat- 
Between  this  and  the  mouth  of  the  Slewiacke  River,  it  crosses  the  Shubenaca- 
die twice  ;  the  ground  oflx'rs  no  obstructions,  except  an  embankment  which  w  ill 
be  required  at  the  31st  mile,  about  6  feet  high,  for  one  mile,  where  the  line  crosses 
the  broad  marshes  of  the  Shubenacadie,  which  are  flooded  by  high  freshets. 

Between  the  crossing  of  the  Stewiacke  River,  about  38  miles  from  Dart- 
month,  and  the  head  of  Truro  mill-stream  at  the  .50th  mile,  which  is  the  water- 
shed ofthe  Truro  and  Shubenacadie  waters  (145  feet  above  high-water  at  Halifax,) 
there  will  be  several  cuttings  of  from  15  to  20  feet  deep,  so  that  none  ofthe  gra- 
dients may  exceed  40  feet  in  the  mile,  and  these  will  be  short. 

From  the  50th  mile  the  line  descends  by  the  valley  ofthe  Truro  mill-stream, 
by  an  easy  yrade  of  about  17  feet  per  mile,  to  the  village  of  Truro,  at  the  53th 
mile,  which  it  will  jiass  abou)  a  quarter  of  a  mile  to  the  westward,  and  cross  the 
head  of  the  Cobequid  Bay  by  a  bridge  which  will  require  to  be  about  500  feet 
long.  From  thence  it  couuiiences  the  ascent  of  the  range  of  hills  known  as  the 
Cobequid  Hills,  which  run  north-east  and  south-west,  nearly  parallel  with  the  bay, 
and  directly  across  the  line  ofthe  railway. 

The  rock  formation  through  which  the  first  portion  of  the  Tme  passes,  ceases  at 


123 


llie  firand  Lake  ;  rroiii  ilieiiro  to  Truro,  tlit;  roiiiilry,  gonorallv  .jpt'iiking,  i^  of  a 
fertilu  descrijition,  theliills  hciiig  coiiiposcil  of  a  !<lroiig  day,  witli  here  and  then; 
limestone  and  gypsutn  rocks.  The  soil  of  the  fertile  valley  in  which  Truro,  is 
Mitnatcd,  as  well  as  the  nhoresof  the  Coljeijuid  Bay,  is  red  sandstone. 

After  crossing  the  head  of  the  Cobequid  Bay,  the  line  passes  along  the  southern 
slope  of  the  hills  to  the  foot  of  the  ascent  of  the  6Cth  mile.  In  this  distance  it 
will  have  to  cross  the  Cliiganois  and  De  Buit  Rivers,  and  the  swell  of  laud  lying 
hetivcen  them,  tlii;  highest  elevation  between  tliosij  rivers  .ihout  170  feet  above 
high  water  ;  hut  none  of  the  gradients,  it  is  calculated,  will  exceed  40  feet  per 
mile. 

The  summit-le\el  which  the  line  his  to  attain  is  by  actual  section  determined 
to  be  600  feet  above  higli-vvuter,  being  at  the  lake  from  which  the  Folly  River 
flows. 

The  section,  which  hui  been  accurately  surveyed,  shows  a  gradient  of  I  in  S3 
feet,  or  about  62  feet  per  mile,  for  ,5  3-4miles  ;  but  by  keeping  abiglnir  level,  the 
ascent  to  the  lake  may  b<j  overcome  by  a  grade  of  57  feet  per  mile,  for  6  1-2, miles. 

In  this  distance  there  are  eight  ravines  to  be  crossed,  four  of  which  will  require 
heavy  bridges. 

The  valley  of  the  PineI)rook  will  require  a  heavy  embankment,  material  for 
which  will  ho  supplied  by  a  deep  cutting  necessary  at  the  crossing  of  the  road 
beyond. 

The  upper  portion  of  the  ascent,  for  four  mi'  ■<  below  the  lake,  is  composed  of 
hard,  igneous  rocks,  with  a  covering  of  earth  in  most  places,  but.  the  rock  will 
probably  be  met  with  if  cuttings  to  any  depth  become  necessary. 

At  about  four  miles  on  the  south  side  of  the  lake  seventy-one  miles  from  Dart- 
mouth, there  is  u  breadth  of  about  half  a  mile  of  conglomerates,  shale  and  sand- 
stone, in  which  a  valuable  deposits  of  specular  iron  ore  has  been  discovered  ; 
it  is  of  very  rich  quality,  and  operations  have  been  commenced  by  a  conq)any  to 
work  it. 

The  heavy  grade  ceases  at  the  saw  mill  half  a  mile  below  the  lake,  in  which 
distance  there  are  three  small  ridges  to  cut  through,  which  will  furnish  material 
for  crossing  the  shallow  arm  of  the  Lake  ;  the-ice  the  western  shore  is  nearly 
straight,  with  shallow  water,  admitting  of  a  level  line,  with  easy  curvatures  along 
its  margin. 

At  the  75th  mile  a  sm  II  ridge  at  the  north  end  of  the  lake  separates  its  waters 
from  those  of  the  Wallace  River. 

The  descent  from  the  lake  is  very  rapid  into  the  valley  watered  by  that  river.  By 
actual  measurement  it  has  been  ascertained  that  the  ground  falls  356  feet  in  the 
first  three  miles  northwardly  from  the  lake  ;  thence  the  valley  is  broad  and  flat. 
The  hills  on  the  easiern  side  rise  very  abruptly,  those  on  the  western  side  having 
a  gentler  slope  towards  the  valley  afford  the  most  favourable  ground  for  the  loca- 
tion of  a  railway. 

The  actual  section  line,  which  has  been  run  at  a  gradient  of  70  feet  per  mile, 
may  be  improved  upon  by  keeping  a  higher  level,  and  the  descent  may  be  over- 
come by  a  gradient  of  about  66  feet  per  mile  for  4  1-4  miles  along  the  western 
side  of  the  valley. 


124 


m 


■  I 


Here  the  hills  turn  abruptly  to  the  westward,  and  on  reaching  the  foot  of  this 
desiciMit,  at  tlie  7f)th  mile,  some  cutting  will  be  necessary  to  carry  the  line  with 
the  radius  of  half  a  mile  for  one  mile,  round  the  shoulder  of  the  hills. 

A  lesser  range  of  hills  lies  north  of  the  Cobequid  Range,  which,  at  this  point  is 
aeiiaratcJ  from  them  by  the  valley  of  one  branch  of  the  Wallace  Uiver,  which 
the  line  ascends  for  1 1-2  miles,  at  a  grade  of  35  feet  per  mile,  and  thence  passes 
through  this  lesser  range  by  the  valley  of  the  west  brunch  of  the  Wallace  River. 
Then  crossing  the  valley  of  the  Little  Wallace  River  it  falls  at  a  grade  of  35  feet 
per  mile  to  the  valley  watered  by  Tulloap's  Creek,  by  which  it  descends  al  easy 
grades  for  ab :)ut  seven  miles  to  the  95th  mile,  where  it  turns  the  shoulder  ot  the 
ridge  of  land  lying  east  of  the  River  Philip  by  a  curve  of  three  quarters  of  a  mile 
radius,  involving  some  cutting,  but  to  no  great  depth. 

From  thence  it  descends  at  a  grade  of  20  feet  per  mile  for  4  miles  along  the  fer- 
tile valley  of  the  River  Philip,  which  it  will  cross  at  a  short  distance  below  the 
confluence  of  the  Black  River,  and  ascend,  for  5  miles,  by  the  valley  of  the  Little 
River  by  a  very  easy  grade. 

From  this  to  Bay  Verto  the  country  presents  a  very  level  appearance,  and  the 
line  will  probably  deviate  but  little  from  a  direct  line. 

The  gradients  will  be  most  favourable,  and  none,  it  is  expected,  will  exceed  15 
feet  per  mile. 

At  llio  120lli  mile,  the  line  crosses  the  Tibnish  River  about  a  mile  above  its 
mouth,  and  thence  follows  the  level  shores  of  the  Bay  Verte,  at  a  distance  of  from 
one  to  half  a  mile. 

It  leaves  the  Province  of  Nova  Scotia  124  miles  from  Halifax  Harbor. 

The  section  of  country  traversed  by  the  line,  from  the  Cobequid  Hills  to  Bay 
Vertej  is,  generally  speaking,  tlirough  light  soil  of  good  quality.  There  is  little  or 
no  rock.  Should  any  be  met  with,  it  will  be  sandstone,  furnishing  excellent 
building  material. 

Much  of  this  portion  of  Nova  Scotia  is  well  cultivated  and  populous. 

The  line  from  Bay  Verte  enters  the  Province  of  New  Brunswick,  and  as  far  as 
the  crossing  of  the  Miramichi  River,  (at  the  223d  mile,)  although  running  nearly 
at  right  angles  to  the  course  of  the  rivers  flowing  into  the  Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence, 
will  deviate  but  little  from  a  general  straight  course  and  from  the  level  nature  of 
the  country,  although  it  will  have  to  cross  the  swells  of  land  lying  between  the 
different  rivers,  it  may  be  expected  confidently  that  the  heaviest  gradients  will 
not  exceed  40  feet  per  mile,  the  generality  being  very  favorable." 

Gradients  on  the  line  from  Halifax  Harbor  to  Bay  route. 
Level  or  under  20  feet  per  mile,  G6  miles, 

20    to    40    "        .  .  .        37    " 

40    to    50    "  .  .  .     10    " 

50    to    60    "        .  .  .  7    " 

60    to    70    "  .  .  .4    " 


124 


)r  thiit 
with 


125 

In  this  connection  it  is  deemed  advisable  to  give  an  extract  from 
li  ^  n-p  rt   '    the   survey  of  Mr.  Wilkinson,   of  the  route  Iroiii  S.. 
John  to  Shediac  Bay. 

By  adopti  ly  a  ,!ne  keeping  in  the  vallies  uf  the  Kenncbecasis 
and  tiie  I'etitcodia   — 

"  Tlie  latter  route  would  present  alternate  risea  and  falls  which  at  some 
points  could  be  reduced  to  bare  practicability,  only  by  heavy  cuttings  and 
embankments;  wliilst  the  only  advantage  prupobed  would  le  tu  vum  coi  - 
tact  with  the  tortuous  channel,  tides,  floating  ice,  and  soi't  banks  of  the 
Petitcodiac. 

It  does  not  appeal  however  that  it  is  really  necessary  to  come  in  contact 
with  these  in  any  manner  involving  material  difficulty  ;  whilst  tliu  working 
character  of  the  Line,  when  constructed,  wunid  be  of  unsurpasued  ex- 
cellence. 

From  Steves'  to  Pitsfleld's  the  mean  inclination  wonld  scarcely  be  7  feet 
per  mile,  and  from  thence  the  remaining  distance  to  the  iiend,  about  14 
miles,  would  be  level. 

The  increase  in  the  whole  distance  from  St.  John  to  Shediac  by  this 
route  will  be  about  three  miles,  but  with  the  advantage  of  touching  the 
Harbor  at  the  Bend,  which  is  not  approached  within  two  miles  by  the  direct 
route. 

By  adopting  the  immediate  Valley  of  the  Petitcodiac  we  have  therefore 
a  Lme  of  Railway  of  108  miles  in  extent;  connectir.g  three  of  the  mo»t 
important  Harbors  in  the  Province  by  a  ruling  gradient  between  level  and 
7  feet  per  mile,  and  two  maximum  gradients  each  of  only  30  feet  per  mile. 
It  is  most  probable  that  the  latter,  fuvorable  as  they  are,  may  be  still  further 
reduced  " 

These  extracts  shew  the  characteristics  of  the  entire  line  from 
Halifax  to  St.  John. 

After  the  conclusion  of  Mr.  Uniache's  speech,  a  call  was  made 
on  Hon.  J.S.  Little,  of  Portland,  President  of  the  Atlantic  and  St. 
Lawrence  Railroad. 

Mr.  Little  said  he  had  not  expected  to  be  called  upon  for  a  speech,  bu  t 
he  felt  deeply  interested  m  the  succes:)  of  the  scheme  that  had  called  this 
Convention  together.  He  then  adverted  to  the  great  enterprise  in 
which  the  Company,  over  which  he  presided,  was  engaged.  He  con- 
sidered it,  how<Jver,  a  section  only  of  "  the  great  thoroughfare"  that 
would  connect  continents  and  countries,  the  success  of  which  he  consid- 
ered certain.  As  to  the  Portland  and  Montreal  Railrad,  he  pledged  him- 
self that  it  would  be  completed  within  three  years,  and  announced  that 
ample  means  for  its     impietion  had  been  secured,  and  were  on  hand. 

This  announcement  was  received  with  great  cheering.  Mr.  Little  thank- 


126 

ed  the  delegations  from  the  Ci>Ionie8  for  tlie  amount  of  Ihouglit  and  iiifor- 
inatiun  they  liad  communicated  to  the  Convention,  and  alluded  to  the  val- 
uable time  these  delegate!)  had  given  up  in  order  to  be  preaent,  no  doubt  at 
much  personal  sacriiice  and  inconvenience,  attended  with  very  considera- 
ble expense.  The  name  adopted  (or  the  line,  he  considered  very  appropri- 
ate, aa  it  would  be  a  great  national  work  and  would  justify  its  friends  in 
calling  for  aid  from  both  continenta  for  its  construction,  Maine  would  do 
her  part  in  this  great  work,  and  if  the  effect  of  the  Convention  abroad  was 
such  ua  in  i'orlland,  the  aucce'a  of  the  enterprise  was  certain. 

Mr.  Little's  remarks  drew  forth  great  applause. 

Admiral  Owen  was  here  called  for,  but  declined  speaking  on 
account  of  the  difficulty  he  had  of  enunciation  —  his  heart,  how- 
ever, was  warmly  interested  in  the  enterprize. 

Hon  Israel  Washburn,  Jr.,  of  Orono,  was  next  called  for,  and 
spoke  in  substance  as  follows! : 

Mr.  Washburn  said  the  Convention  had  assembled  to  take  into  consid- 
eration one  of  the  most  magnificent  prcijecls  that  had  engaged  the  attention 
of  the  present  century.  He  had  listened  with  infinite  pleasure  to  its  de- 
liberations, lie  had  been  delighted  with  the  eloquence  which  was  assisted 
by  wit  and  imagination,  and  siill  more  by  thdt  better  eloquence,  on  occa. 
sions  of  this  kind,  of  facts  and  figures.  The  enterprise  was  feasible  ;  men 
might  be  startled  by  itd  magnitude,  but  it  would  bear  examination  and 
arithmetic. 

The  questions  to  be  asked  and  answered,  were,  primarily,  '  would  it 
pay  ?'  '  Can  the  necessary  funds  be  raised  ?  Let  those  wlio  projected,  and 
who  hiive  thus  far  successfully  carried  forward  the  Athintic  and  St.  Law 
rence  road,  amid  the  doubts,  questionings  and  benevolent  warnings  of  the 
incredulous,  the  alow  and  the  sleepy,  answer.  Let  the  pnblic  spirited, 
yet  wisely  cautious,  citizens  of  Portland,  who  have  paid  a  million  of  dollars 
within  three  years,  for  that  great  work,  without  feeling  the  slightest  em- 
barrassment,—  let  the  net  earnings  of  the  part  already  built,  answer.  Let 
an  examination  uf  the  country  through  which  this  Eastern  road  is  to  pass 
a  survey  of  the  resources  and  capabilities,  of  that  country,  make  response. 

From  the  report  of  IVIr.  Wilkinson  on  the  road  from  St.  John  and  Sche- 
diac,  and  from  the  statistics  which  had  been  laid  before  (he  Convention, 
there  would  seem  to  be  little  donbt  that  the  local  business  iilone  East  of 
St.  John,  would  furnish  a  remunerating  traffic  for  that  portion  of  the  road. 
Fifty  of  the  seventy  miles  between  St  John  and  Calais,  would  nut  pay  at 
present;  nor  would  fil\y  of  the  ninety  miles  between  Calais  and  Ban- 
gor. But  well  informed  and  cautious  men  in  Calais,  believed  that  fif- 
teen to  twenty  miles  of  the  road  from  that  place  West,  would  pay  from  its 
own  trade.    From  fifleen  to  thirty  milen   East  of  Bangor,  according  to  the 


•'K 


127 

rouln  adopted,  would  pay  eiipcnses  and  good  interest  on  the  coit,  from  the 
way  businesi,  ifumediately  on  tlie  opening  oftLe  road.  Of  this  no  one  ac- 
quainted >vith  the  budiiies!)  wliicli  demanded  anJ  would  seek  Rail- 
road facilities,  on  the  line  of  the  route  abore  Banjrur,  would  doubt  for 
an  instant.  Within  fourteen  miles  of  liangor,  on  the  Pcmibscot  River, 
were  200  saw  mills,  a  large  number  of  clapboard,  shing'e,  and  lath  ma- 
chines, &c.  &c.,  making  an  inimen.-'c  trade,  rcquiri.ig  lor  its  economical 
conduct  accommodations  which  could  only  be  afforded  by  a  railroad.  This 
part  of  the  line  would  unquestionably  pay  —  and  he  Lete  gave  the  opinion 
of  the  shrewdest  and  soundest  judges,  twelve  per  cent  on  the  ca])itul  in- 
vested. It  would  seem,  then,  that,  independent  of  the  througk  busineaa, 
the  road  from  Bangor  to  its  Eistern    terminus  in   Novu  Scotiu   would,  for 

more  than    three-fourths  of  the  distance,   poy  a  fair  inlerebt  on  the  cost 

and  he  did  not  doubt  that  wilhin  a  few  years  afler  its  completion,  this 
would  be  true  of  the  whole  line.     Cheers. 

If  gentlemen  who  had  examined  this  subject,  were  nut  mistaken  in  the 
saving  of  time  which  they  had  supposed  would  be  effected  in  the  passage 
between  America  and  Europe,  there  n)Ui<t  be  a  very  considerable,  and  con- 
stantly increasing,  number  of  passengers  over  the  road.  The  intercourse 
between  the  old  world  and  the  new,  was  rapidly  increasing;  witli  such  fa- 
cilities as  this  road  would  furnish,  it  would  continue  to  increase.  There 
could  be  DO  doubt  that  this  would  be  the  favrred  route  of  the  Canada's, 
and  the  •  Great  West.' 

The  West — the  country  beyond  the  Alleganies,  and  North  of  the  Ohio 
—  was  an   Empire  of  itself.     It    was  going   forward   in   population,  and 
wealth  with  unprecedented  strides.     Within  five  years  a  larger  number  of 
travellers  would  pass   from  that  portion  of  the   United    States  to  Euroj)e, 

than  now  passed  from  all  the  States.     'I'his  route  would  unquestionably 

we  had  only  to  look  at  the  map  of  North  America  and  the  projected  im- 
provements in  the  West,  to  understand  this  —  command  the  great  body  ot 
this  travel.  Now,  would  the  entirprise  pay  ?  Was  there  a  reasonable 
doubt  of  it .''  Convince  capitalists  that  its  shares  will  be  good  paying 
shares,  and  the  funds  will  be  forthcoming. 

But  the  project  was  one  of  infinite  moment  to  the  State  of  Maine,  con- 
sidering the  quantity  of  good  land  within  her  borders,  the  wealth  of  her 
forests,  her  facilities  for  ship  building,  the  best  in  the  world  —  for  the  fish- 
eries, hardly  surpassed,  her  position  iur  commerce,  her  extent  of  coast,  her 
harbors,  her  rivers  and  water  falls,  what  should  prevent  her  becoming  one 
oi  the  first  States  in  power,  influence,  and  in  all  that  makes  a  St,ate,  in  the 
confederacy  .''  This  road  built,  she  will  have  a  great  trunk  tine  from  bor- 
der to  border,  which  will  make  her  resources  accessible  and  available  — 
open  them  to  the  observation  and  enterprise  of  the  world,  and  arrest  the 
tide  of  emigration  which  has  for  years  net  so  strongly  towards  the  West. 


128 

The  lands  belonging  to  Miiine  ten  years  ago,  were  worth,  at  low  valua- 
tion, two  and  a  hnlf  millions  of  dollars  —  withii.  that  period  a  moiety  ot 
thoKL-  landu  had  been  disposed  of,  and  who  could  tell  what  h'kd  become  of 
the  procecdx,  or  what  benefit  the  Stale  ur  its  citizens  iiad  derived  from 
them  ?  NVhat  have  we  to  show  for  tlicin  —  what  public  work,  what  per- 
manent fund,  what  enduring  monument?  If  we  continue  the  policy  hith- 
erto pursued,  in  less  than  ten  years  our  lands  will  have  been  sold  to  the 
last  acre,  and  the  Slate  will  have  iiotliin^;  to  fchow  that  bhe  ever  owned 
ihL-iij, 

Mr.  VV.  said,  if  he  were  a  member  of  the  Slate  Legislature,  it  would  be 
his  fir>l  business  to  see  if  some  way  could  not  be  provided  whereby  the 
property  of  the  Stale  in  wild  lands  could  be  changed  into  railroad  property. 
ile  would  inquire  if  a  plan  could  not  be  matured  by  which,  without  invol- 
ving any  loan  of  the  credit  of  the  Slate,  her  million  or  two  of  dollari  in 
lands,  might  be  put  into  some  of  the  great  trunk  roads  which  should  be 
constructed  vi'ithin  her  limils — that  while  she  should  have  an  enduring 
property  which  would  tend  to  increase  the  numbers  cf  her  people  and 
swell  tlie  valuation  of  tlieir  estates,  sJie  would  secure  in  perpetuity  a  large 
annual  fund  for  the  use  of  her  schools  and  coihges,  or  for  the  diminution 
of  her  State  tax. 

The  age  —  Mr.  VV.  said,  was  one  of  unexampled  activity  in  whatever 
referred  to  the  developement  of  the  physical  world.  His  friend  from  Port- 
land, (Hon.  Mr.  Smith,)  had  alluded  to  the  past  and  the  works  of  the  past, 
contrasting  the  latter  with  those  of  our  day.  The  works  of  the  ancients 
as  stupendous  aa  to  us  they  appear  profitless  —  uere  parts,  if  not  instru- 
ments, of  their  civilizations.  How  d'fferent  are  the  exprsssions  and  the 
agencies  of  ours.  Not  pyramids  and  Chinese  walls,  but  Uailroads  are  the 
"  acts  of  our  Apostles  of  civilization."  The  time  had  come  when  the  tal- 
ents and  energies  of  man,  were  employed  more  directly  and  profitably 
than  ever  before  in  the  progress  and  elevation  of  the  race.  The  fortunes 
of  our  Christian  civilization  were  in  the  keeping  of  the  Anglo  Saxons. 

Here,  upon  this  continent,  by  us  and  our  descendants,  this  great  Prob- 
lem of  Christian  civilization  is  to  be  fairly  and  finally  solved.  The  past 
has  labored  for  us  The  world  in  four  thousand  years,  got  ready  for  Ciiris- 
'  tianity  —  in  fifteen  hundred  more  for  Protestantism  and  the  opening  of  a 
new  world;  three  centuries  more  were  required  for  the  Steamboat,  the 
Railroad,  the  Telegraph.     Cheers. 

On  this  ample  and  favorable  field,  with  these  aids  and  advantages,  this 
people  can  be  no  laggards  in  the  work  whicii  hab  been  committed  to  them  ; 
this  age  cannot  ignore  its  position,  and  its  responsibilities. 

There  need  be  no  fear  that  an  enterprise  like  that  which  has  brought  us 
here,  to-day,  can,  in  this  age,  be  unsuccessful.  So  magnificent  in  design, 
so  promising  and  practical  in  results,  so  fortunate  in  the  time  of  its  intro- 
duction, its  conception  and  execution  are  one. 


129 

Hon.  Wm.  Wright,  Advocate  (Tenernl  of  New  Brunswiok,  sm > 
ceeded  to  the  floor,  ami  commenced  speaking,  but  was  interrupted  by 
a  call  for  adjournment,  when  the  meeting  adjourned  till  :2  1-2  o'clock, 
P.  M. 


Afternoon. 

Mr.  Piivou  the  Mayor  of  Halifax  in  the  Chair.  The  Hon. 
Mr.  Wright  resumed  hia  remarks. 

He  said  thiit  this  road  was  deniiindeil  by  tlio  necensitics  of  the  Proviiices,  and 
that  fact  would  ho  admitted  by  those  who  would  tako  th(!  trouble  to  cxaiiiiiu;  the 
statistics  of  trade. 

Once  establish  this  line,  he  remarked,  not  only  a  magnificent  line  of  coast  to 
your  trade,  not  only  the  great  and  profitable  fisheries  of  lh(!  (julf,  but  also  a  great 
proportion  of  the  trade  of  the  Province  of  Canada.  The  flour  consumed  in  the 
lower  Provinces  is  now  brought  down  from  Lake  Krie,  through  the  F'rie  Canal,  to 
New  Vork.  It  is  shipped  from  there  to  St.  John,  and  thence  distributed  to  the 
places  of  consumption.  This  is  done  n.t  a  cost  of  fis.  per  barrel,  or  $'1  46  cents 
of  your  money.  It  will  cost,  by  the  proposed  route,  2s  Sd,  or  61  cents,  for  carriage 
to  the  same  place.  Mr.  Wright  illustrated  the  importance  of  the  new  route,  by 
frequent  reference  to  tables  and  statistics  which  he  had  before  him.  Concerning 
the  Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence  fisheries,  he  said  that,  by  the  international  treaty, 
American  fishing  vessels  could  not  come  within  three  miles  of  the  coast;  but  that 
restriction,  he  was  persuaded,  would  only  last  until  the  great  Railroad  Li /inished, 
and  no  longer. 

Last  year,  over  sixty-eight  thousand  dollars  worth  of  fresh  Salmon  was  ex- 
ported from  St.  Jolm  to  New  York  alone.  He  alluded  to  the  inducements  that 
would  be  held  out  for  travel,  from  the  southern  cities,  when  the  attractive 
scenery  of  the  St.  Lawrence  Gulf  is  brought  within  easy  reach. 

He  concluded  his  very  able  and  convincing  speech,  with  an  allusion  to  the 
beautiful  aspect  of  this  meeting,  where  the  subjects  of  Great  Britain  and  America 
sat  side  by  side  in  convention,  for  the  first  time  in  three  quarters  of  a  century. 
There  sat  the  Governor  of  Maine,  side  by  side  with  a  disthiguished  British  Ad- 
miral; and  throughout  the  meeting,  men  of  rank  and  distinction,  from  both  sides 
of  the  boundary,  mingled  frankly  and  freely  together,  animated  by  the  same  earn- 
est desire  to  advance  an  enterprize  which  was  well  calculated  to  benefit  the 
whole  human  race. 

Mr.  Wright's  remarks  drew  forth  renewed  expressions  of  ap- 
plause. 

Mr.  James  McFarlane,  of  St.  John,  was  next  called  upon, 
and  addressed  the  Convention. 

Mr.  F.  said  he  was  not  a  professed  speaker.  He  belonged  to  the  mercantile 
class,  and  come  here  to  represent  that  class  of  men  in  the  convention.    There 

17 


130 


vviiH  .1  I'lriui^  iiitiTci-t  Ci'lt  ill  (his  undertaking  in  tlic  nly  i<t'  Si.  Joliii,  fur  ti«-y<i>i<l 
what  hi-  h;i(l  uitiicsM'd  in  rrj^iird  to  iiiiy  ciiiiiliir  iiniji'''!;  mid  Ik-  \v:h  iiiithoriMcd  to 
■<ay,  that  tin-  trading  rlas"  in  St.  John  would  ronirilmtf  to  the  full  i>\(i>ut  of  their 
iiiennn.  .Mr.  .Mi  riirl.iiic  advoriiti'd  a  Iroo  iiitcrrhaiijt"  «'•'  cDiiiiiicHhtirs  lictwi-oii 
thi>  I'liilid  States  and  tile  I'riiviiires;  not  only  as  a  means  of  rnsieriiit;  that  ^^reat 
ehaiige  in  pulilie  .scntiiiient  whieh  had  taken  |dac(>  between  the  two  countriuri  of 
late  year?',  which  would  result  in  enlar^iiif;  the  reeling  of  uiiiity  and  lirotherly 
kindnrs.s  hetweeii  the  people  of  lioth  nations. 

Mr.  Md'arlane's  speech  was  reccivrd  with  very  great  favor. 

Mr.  I'ooii,  of  I'orthind,  said  that  one  of  the  iiio.-it  inipiirtnnt  inquiries  that  hao 
loiiK!  lip,  has  been  in  re;;ard  to  till!  ai'tioii  of  lh(r  I,e;i;i.-latiire  of  ^[aiiie.  If  thn 
l.ej^i.slatiire  will  promptly  grant  the  iii-ceasary  charter,  and  cause  a  survey  of  tho 
lino,  the  work  of  raisin;^  siihscriptioiiH  can  go  forwaril  the  present  year.  Mr.  F'oor 
Imped  the  l.egi.-latiire  of  .Maine  would  not  be  backward  in  the  good  work.  There 
arc  guiitleinen  here  who  can  give  ati  exprmsion  to  the  feeling  which  pervailen  that 
body;  and  he  would  ask  tlie  I'resident  to  call  on  No.mi  Sjiitii,  lisij.,  of  Calais, 
a  niKinher  of  the  Hon.<e  of  RepreseiitativcH. 

Mr.  S.MiTii  responded  to  the  call  of  the  Chair,  and  said — 

He  roulil  not,  of  course,  |)!edge  the  I.ei|islaturi!  as  to  an  nppro|>riation  for  a  sur- 
vey; but  ho  could  say  that  he  did  not  know  a  nicniber  in  either  branch  who 
would  not  be  ready  to  grant  a  full  a |)propriation  for  that  object.  lli><  own  town 
of  Calais,  he  was  authorised  to  say,  would  pledge  itself  to  a  luNirty  co-opcratiou 
in  the  work,  of  the  sucoesH  of  which  ho  had  no  doubt. 

Mr.  Smith  ob.-ierved,  that  a  previous  Hpeuker  Had  stated,  "  that  New  Bruns- 
wick had  went  nil  her  best  men."  ile  wuh  well  acipiainted  with  the  people  of 
that  I'rovinci',  from  being  tlu-ir  next  door  neighbor,  lie  was  n^idy  to  admit,  that 
.\ew  Brunswick  had  sent  her  best  men,  but  not  all  of  them;  he  well  knew,  and 
could  say,  as  did  the  Y,.nkce  pedlur,  when  selling  oil"  his  razor-strops — "there  is 
more  of  the  same  st.rt  left!" 

Mr.  Smith's  remarks  drew  down  imtnense  applause. 

.Stephen  Binnev,  Esq.,  of  Monckton,  interested  the  Conven- 
tion witii  some  able  retnarks  respecting  the  importance  and  value 
of  the  route  which  had  been  adopted,  in  opening  up,  to  citizens 
of  the  United  States,  a  vast  agricultural  country,  and  giving 
easy  access  to  the  unlimited  fisheries  of  the  Gulf  of  St.  Law- 
rence. Mr.  Binney  strongly  advocated  reciprocity  in  trade,  and 
pointed  out  forcibly,  tlie  many  advantages  which  would  follow 
from  such  a  desirable  arrangen^Cit.  He  concluded  by  express- 
ing^ his  firm  conviction,  that  the  Railway  through  New  Bruns- 
wick would  be  a  profitable  undertaking,  from  local  traffic  alone, 
without  reference  to  the  vast  stream  of  travel  and  traffic  which 
must  puss  over  it,  as  a  great  highway  between  tho  Old  World 
and  the  New.     His  remarks  were  highly  cheered. 


vn 


Hon.  Gr.o.  F.  Siir.ri.iv  of  rmtlund,  a  nu'Mibcr  ol'  llic  S(in;fo 
was  then  ciillid  lor  tlnouglioiit  thi;  Hall,  wliu  roti{)uii«It'(i  in  bub- 
fltancc  as  follows: 

lie  »d'u\  tliiit  a  fi'W  wi'ck*  ninrc,  lie  rcci  ivitl  a  pi'liiiuii  !<ii'mi!  liy  ■<i>iiii>  ofthiHi* 
•■ntiTpri.-'iit^  iirid  piihli.'  ■untilcil  men,  wliti  ii.iil  ntijli'i.iIcMl,  iiml  iMrrii'd  nd  ti)  its 
pn'-'t'nt  stiilo  of  Hiici-cxsfiil  pro^ri"-',  llirit  •."•ciil  <'nli'r[)ri-if  lln'  Atlniili'  ;ini|  St 
LawTonro  lliiilrnnd,  praviii^  llml  the  Htalc  would  raiisc  to  he  «iirvfwd  iind  n*- 
rcrtaini'cl  the  most  |iriirlii'al  route  for  a  ll'iilway  fn'iii  thr  fitv  of  I'iin^'er  to  thr 
Kaxtcrii  liouiidary  of  tin- State  in  llu-  gciscral  dirtK-lioii  of  St.  Joliti,  .N.  liriiiiswi  k. 
'Hiis  petition  he  liiid  thi!  honor  to  lay  before  the  Senate  of  .Maine  and  it  had  h.M.n 
referred  to  tlie  appropriate  eon'niiltie.  Wlien  the  attention  of  tlie  l.e^islaiuri- 
was  thus  first  culled  to  thit  sulijeit,  altlum^li  the  project  wiis  received  with  favor, 
it  was  too  inn^niticent  a  srlK'ine  to  he  fully  iisiderstood  and  apjireciatcd  at  the 
Hrst  glance.  At  lirsi  it  appeared  as  merely  an  attempt  to  extend  to  the  interior 
and  the  r.asterly  counties  of  (lie  State  the  ailvantaf,"'^  and  facililics  of  Huilw  y 
eoinniiniication  now  enjoyed  hy  lli<^  more  favored  comities  in  the  W'e.-^t,  and  thus 
to  bind  together  in  the  bonds  of  fre(pient  IntercourHC  and  speedy  cnmniuiiination 
the  citizens  of  the  whole  State  from  its  Western  to  its  i;astern  liouiid!:ry.  On  a 
closer  inspection  this'  iqipeanid  to  he  hut  a  small  portin-.i  of  the  lienetits  to  he  at- 
tained by  the  accomplishment  of  the  enterprise.  The  iron  band  which  was  to 
unite  the  dilFerent  sections  of  our  own  State,  was  to  he  but  a  liiii^  in  the  great 
<diain  of  coniinuiiication  which  was  to  exteml  from  the  (iiii,  i if  .Mexico  to  the 
Buy  of  Fuiidv.  That,  not  only  were  the  people  of  our  own  State  to  be  ail'urdi  d 
the  facilities  of  railway  coniinuiiication  with  each  other  and  with  their  fellow 
'•itizens  of  the  other  States,  but  the  people  of  thi.^  States  and  of  tlie  I'nited  Slates 
wore  again  to  be  united  with  their  brethren  in  the  Piovinces  of  New  Brunswick 
and  Nova  Scotia  who  were  brothers  of  the  same  family,  although  heretofore  fro.'i 
jjolitical  caiues  slightly  estranged.  But  now  the  old  fraternaNeeling  was  to  bo 
revived  and  the  brethren  tnvcHing  on  over  the  same  voad  which  is  to  be  the 
place  of  meeting  and  reconciliation,  find  that  it  leads  .still  onward  to  tlu-  patern;.! 
home  and  pursuing  the  route,  of  which,  this  road  forms  ;i  part,  they,  hand  ja 
hand,  soon  tri-ad  the  shores  of  Old  I'ngland  and  tugelher  revive  their  recollections 
of  a  common  origin  and  a  common  anccslry.  {(."heers.;  But  it  was  not  Kng- 
land  and  the  Uiihed  States  alone  that  were  to  be  brought  into  nearer  proximity 
by  this  plan.  It  is  to  bo  the  shortest  line  of  communication  between  the  Old 
World  and  the  New.  It  is  to  do  its  work  in  the  great  cause  of  civilization,  of 
peace,  and  of  fraternal  feeling  between  the  nations  of  the  earth,     ({theirs.) 

Thus  the  importance  of  this  project  expanded  and  developed  itself,  and  as  the 
subject  developetl  itself  the  hearts  and  the  Lopes  of  tlie  men  engaged  in  tiic  cn- 
tt^rprise  seemed  to  grow  with  it.     (Cheers.) 

But  what  was  of  more  importance  to  the  sui:ccsh  of  the  movement  was  tbe 
fact,  that  every  one  was  convinced  after  e.xaiiiinatioii,  that  the  enterprue  was  ;i8 
practicable  as  it  was  desirable  and  might  be  ruade  as  profitable  in  it.s  results  na  it 
was  magnificent  in  its  conception,     ((.'hecrs.  t 

There  has  been  no  Legislative  action  in  the  mutter.     The  con.sidoration  of  the 


13? 


rtubject  lius  hi'iMi  Julayeil  to  awnil  the  iictioii  of  the  Convotition,  that  the  inetii- 
bers  might  avnil  thmiisdves  of  the  light  anil  infonnation  that  would  be  brought 
bf'.fori!  tiiiH  hotly.  1  know  the  men  of  the  IjCgisliitim; — Many  of  them  have  Had 
dii  oppi  riiiriity  to  hear  tiie  spoi-ches  with  wliicii  we  havi;  hum  favored,  and  they 
will  be  pr.'parcd  to  advance  thif  cause,  which  lieiongs  to  the  coiiiinon  interests, 
'.>y  their  votes. 

Though  a  growing  interest  in  its  favor  was  manifested  as  the  n.agniticence  of 
the  enterprise  u'lfoided  itself  to  th"'  minds  of  the  inemhers,  they  delayed  anti-  n 
until  they  could  come  to  the  Convention  and  see  what  spirit  was  manifested  here 
They  had  come,  and  had  l.eard  what  had  been  said,  and  if  they  could  go  back 
and  not  be  willing  to  enlist  their  hearts  and  hands  in  the  work,  they  must  bt-  less 
than  men.     (Rapturous  cheers.) 

At  this  stage  of  the  pi-^ceedings,  Fig  Worship,  the  Mayor  of 
Halifax,  vacated  tlte  chair,  which  was  taken  by  Gen.  Dearborn 
ofRoxbury,  one  of  the  Vice  Presidents. 

On  motion  of  John  Neal,  Esq.,  it  was 

Voted,  That  the  thanks  of  this  Conviintion  be  tendered  to  Hon.  Henry  Pry- 
OR,  for  the  able,  dignified  and  agreeable  manner,  in  which  he  has  discharged  the 
duties  of  the  Chair  this  day. 

This  motion  was  carried  by  acclamation,  and  there  was  a  gen- 
eral call  for3Ir.  Pryor.  He  re-appeared  upon  the  platform,  and 
said  — 

He  regretted  the  necessity  of  leaving  the  Convention  before  its  labors  should 
bo  brought  to  a  close.  He  remarked,  that  the  remeirdirance  of  this  Convention, 
and  the  kindly  feelings  to  which  it  has  given  rise,  would  be  a'noiig  his  most  cher- 
ished memories.  Never  before,  he  believed,  had  a  British  subject  been  honored 
by  presiding  over  a  (Convention  of  American  citizens,  in  the  United  States  of 
America;  and  he  should  consider  the  day  an  era  in  his  life,  to  which  he  would 
always  revert  with  pride.  He  hoised  that,  hereafter,  the  people  of  the  Provinces 
ai:J  th !  Statcts  would  always  show  the  same  amicable  spirit  that  has  pervaded 
the  session  of  this  Assembly. 

Mr.  Pryor's  remarKswere  enthusiastically  applauded. 

The  Resolutions  were  then  taken  up  in  order  and  passed,  sep- 
arately, by  acclamation,  until  the  15th  was  reached.  Mr.  Wil- 
mot,  th'"  Chairman  of  the  Business  Committee,  moved  that  it  be 
withdrawn,  as  he  felt  that  it  would  tie  the  hands  of  the  friends  of 
the  project  in  his  Province.  They  intended  to  open  subscription 
lists  immediately;  and  hoped  that,  before  next  February,  the 
earliest  time  they  could  get  a  charter,  to  have  most  of  the  stock 
taken.  He  notified  the  Maine  people,  that  unless  they  moved 
quick.  New  Brunswick  would  take  the  banner  from  them. 

The  following  is  the  Resolution  : 


133 

Revived,  Tliiit  no  subsciiplioiis  for  slian-s  shall  bo  uskc.l,  until  Arts  of  huat- 
poration  nre  first  ^pcurcd,  mid  tlio  iiceessiry  aids  of  public  crodi'  and  nftiie  pub- 
lic lands  iiri-  first  obtained. 

This  motion  gave  rise  lo  an  animated  discussion,  hni  the  'es- 
ohitinn  was  finally  withdrawn  by  unrnimous  consent. 

The  16th  and  ITtli  were  passed,  when  Mr.  R.  B.  Dickey  mov- 
ed, as  a  substitute  for  the  16th,  the  luUowing: 

Rcsolve.l,  That  in  order  to  facilitate  the  progre^^s  of  the  work,  tlie  nicnibcrs  of 
the  Cfitral  Conunitti  e  shall  bfi  reque>?tcd  to  correspond  with  local  ConiinitteeH  to 
be  chos"".  along  tlie  proposed  line. 

The  substitute  was  unanimously  adopted.  The  19th  and  last 
Resolution  war.  then  adopted. 

The  following  gentlemen  were  then  chosen  the  Centrul  E.xecu- 

tive  Committe:  — 

John  A.  Pooii,  of  Portland,  ) 

Elijah  L.  Hamlin,  of  Bangor,    >    For  Maine. 

Anson  G.  Chandler,  of  Calais,  ) 

Geo.  Botsioud,    of  Fredericton,  }    j^^^^  Brumrckk. 
Robert  Jaruine,    oi  St.  John,      ) 

Hon.  J.  B.  Uniackr,  of  Halifax,  }    ^^^.^  g^^^-^ 
R.  B.  Dickey,   of  Amherst,  ^ 

Mr.  Gray,  of  New  Brunswick,  moved  two  resolutions  com- 
plimentary to  John  A.  Poor,  Esq.,  of  Portland,  the  originator 
ofthe  vast  and  comprehensive  scheme  which  has  brought  the 
Coi  vention  together. 

The  following  arc  the  resolutions: 

Resolved,  Tliat  the  thanks  of  this  Convention  are  justly  due  to  John  A. 
I'oou,  Esq.,  oflortland,  for  his  uiiwearieu  zeal,  untiring  perseverance,  and  ju- 
dicious exertions  in  the  preliminary  arrangements,  the  organization,  and  the  hap- 
py and  successful  management  of  this  Convention. 

And  further  Resolrcd.,  That  the  thanks  of  this  Convention  shall  be  and  arc 
hereby  pul)licly  and  heartily  tendered  to  the  said  John  A.  I'ooH,  Esq.,  lor  hie 
most  valuable  services  in  this  important  and  most  interesting  occasion. 

The  resolutions  were  seconded  by  Gen.  Dearkorn. 

The  whole  continent,  said  the  General,  is  indebted  to  ■>!:.  Poor  for  his  untiring 
zeal  and  persevering  ciTorts  for  the  advancement  of    ' .' *  stupiMulous  undertuknig. 

The  resolutions  were  adopted  by  acclamation. 
Mr.  Poor  responded. 

He  disclaimed  the  proud  position  and  high  honor  which  the  resolutions  acrord- 
10  him.     If,  said  Mr.  Poor,  I  bad  imagined  tliat  aay  such  expression  had  been 


p^p 


134 


II  f:- 


fif 


V  >- 


j:r)SHil)Ic.  \  r>itiii!ily  slioiiid  not  i;.nr  hncn  pirnciit  this  iirifrnoon.  I  HhouM 
not  have  had  the  power  to  reply  in  any  tilting  tirtnn  for  so  (listiif.'iiislif'd  a  coiii- 
pliment,  had  it  hctMi  in  any  iiiaiincr  deserved.  So  far  from  lliis.  lie  felt  railed 
upon,  by  a  sense  of  justice,  to  diselaini  entirely  all  rii^iit  to  sueh  honor.  Other 
nibnibers  of  the  (Joiiuiiilteu,  his  associates  and  co-laborers,  were  entitled  to  it,  for 
their  servici^s  had  been  more  vulniible,  their  labors  more  abundant;  yet  he  had 
thrown  what  of  (snergy,  of  ability  and  experienci;  ho  possessed,  into  the  further- 
ance of  tile  project. 

Mr.  I'oor  said  that,  on  this  occasion,  the  genuine  old  Ilnglish  spirit  had  been 
exhibited.  Tliei"  reveriMice  for  aullioritv  had  given  tlieiii  t!ie  habit  of  favorin";  a 
monopoly  ill  everything.  On  this  occasion,  they  seem  deteriiiined  to  bestow  a 
inono])oly  of  praise,  which  is  entirely  at  war  with  right,  and  the  spirit  of  the  age! 

Mr.  Poor  said  that  the  good  fortune  which  had  attended  the  preliminary  niove- 
niciits  and  proceediags  of  the  Convention,  was  proof  of  the  ripeness  of  the  scheme. 
It  only  needed  tlie  simplest  touch  to  arouse  all  its  friends  tothe  wor'.<.  Through- 
out the  length  of  tin;  entire  line  of  this  proposed  road,  the  feelings  of  the  people 
had  become  ripe  for  the  niovem(!;it.  It  was  the  people  of  New  BrunswieU  and 
Nova  Scotia,  who  are  here  in  the  persons  of  their  delegates,  who,  like  Ilhodorick 
Dhu's  men,  rallied  to  the;  call,  the  inslant  the  note  of  invitation  was  sounded — 
it  was  to  the  delegation  from  IN'ew  Bruii.swick  and  IS'ova  Scotia  that  the  thanks 
of  the  Convention  are  due.  He  would,  therelbre,  on  behalf  of  the  Committee  of 
Arrangeinmits,  and  on  behalf  of  the  citizens  of  Portland,  whose  chief  magistrate 
bad  talieii  a  distinguished  part  in  its  proceedings,  and  in  behalf  of  the  people' of 
Maine,  whose  chief  Executive  olficer  had  given  the  countenance  of  his  name  and 
his  oliicial  station  to  the  great  project  which  had  brought  them  here,  he  tendered 
to  iheni  all  individually  and  collectively  the  most  profound  and  !ie;',rly  thanks! 
(Cheers.)  The  business  that  has  brought  us  together,  ha.s  been  linished  under 
circumstanees  oi  the  most  profound  gratification  to  all.  I'or  one  he  saw  before  us 
a.  future  full  of  hope  and  of  promise.  Whatever  may  be  the  fortunes  of  any  one  of 
us  individually,  the  memory  of  the  Convention  will  remain  among  our  most  cher- 
wheil  recollections.  The  haste  of  preparation  since  the  Convention  had  been 
agreed  upon,  and  the  want  of  time  to  arrange  the  business  details,  was  the  only 
apology  the  Committee  of  .\rrungenieiits  thought  it  necessary  to  interpose,  where 
so  iinich  forbearance  was  required.  lie  would  therefore  only  repeat  for  his  as- 
sociates and  himself  the  expression  of  their  profound  regards  to  a.ll  the  ineiiibers 
of  the  Convention,  and  to  wi;h  them  all  health  happiness  and  prosperity.  (Long 
and  repeated  cheers.) 

Hon.  Mr  Wilniot  moved  tlie  tliankg  of  the  New  Brunswick  and 
Nova  Scotiu  delegations,  for  the  cordial  manner  in  wliich  they 
had  been  received  by  their  bicthren  and  friends  in  the  city  of 
Portland.  The  vote  was  taken  by  every  member  of  the  delega- 
tion rising. 

Admi'al  Owen  was  hore  introduced  and  said  a  few  words,  but 
owing  to  physical  infirmity  they  could  be  heard  but  by  few.    The 


135 


gist  of  Ihoin  was,  tliut  p.  good  doul  had  been  suiil,  ami  tlu  re  was 
but  ^^one  (liiu<j;  more  ncetlfnl;" — and  he  was  ready  to  do  what  lie 
could  to  fiiniish  that  impoitant  i)art.  'I'his  annouticorncnt  was; 
received  with  j^reat  applause,  and  rerspoiidod  to  by  thi-ee  hearty 
cheers  for  t!ie  wortliy  old  Admiral.  The  business  of  the  Con- 
vention having  been  brought  to  a  close,  Mr  Uniacke  prc^josed 
three  cheers,  and  one  more  for  his  Excellency,  the  Chief  Magis- 
trate of  !\Iaiae,  and  they  were  given  with  a  liglit   royal  will. 

At  the  instance  of  Clener;:!  Dearborn  llii'ce  eiitlnisiastic 
cheers  were  given  for  H(  r  Majesty  Queen  Victoria,  which  was 
instantly  responded  to,  by  Mr.  Wilmot  proposing  tliree  hearty 
cheers  for  the  President  of  the  Unittd  ^S'tatcs,  Mr  John  Ncal. 
ofPortland,  then  called  on  the  Convention  to  give  three  nior<' 
cheers  for  the  "'Mother  Country" — and  the  call  was  responded  to 
with  right  good  will.  It  was  instantly  answered  by  a  call  from 
the  Colonial  Delegates,  to  give  three  cheers  for  "Her  American 
Children."  These  were  scarcely  over,  when  the  adjournment 
was  moved,  but  the  meeting  was  determined  to  hear  one  more 
speech  from  the  Hon  L.  A.  Wilmot,  who  mounted  the  platform 
and  gave  one  of  his  most  brilliant,  spirited  and  vritty  t-peeches 
which  put  everybody  in  the  best  possible  humor. 

At  tiie  conclusion  of  his  most  eloquent  speech  whicli  it  is  im- 
possible to  report,  from  the  fact  that  reporters  and  all  joined  in 
the  general  acclamation,  Mr  Wilmot  said — 

There  was  a  gonil  old  RiiglisU  fonimlii  wliirh  not  i>iily  cvi-rv  <'liiirclitnini  inn 
every  other  gooil  man  felt  the  force  of,  at  Honu!  porii  I'  hw  lilror  still  expected 
to,  which  he  would  invoke  on  this  occasion,  and  he  iiniifilii  nil  would  he  hiipp\' 
to  take  part  ii'  the  cereniony.  "  The  ba;ins  hair:  been  il.'hj  71,  <  /((/,■,  .  ',  .(/.'/  1/' 
any  person  has  ought  io  vl'jcci  why  the  jieople  of  these  Cofun  '  ,i.id  ttie.ie 
States,  should  not  be  joined  tos;e(hef  in  the  bonds  of  eternal  fellowshn  ami 
peace,  let  him  noic  come  forth  and  derUire  ii ,  or  forever  after  bold  his  peace." 
(I(Ong  and  tremendous  cheering.) 

James  D.  Fraser,  Esq.,  M.  P.  P.,  of  Windsor,  then  took  the 
floor  and  said  he  wished  to  offer  a  single  remark.  He  had 
advocated  the  route  across  the  Bay  of  Fundy,  hut  the  Conven- 
tion having  decided  in  fuvcr  of  the  continuous  land  route,  he  beg- 
ged to  say,  that  he  concurred  in  the  whole  proceedings,  and 
would  give  his  best  support  to  the  undertaking     (Cheers.) 

R.  B.  Dickey,  Esq.,  of  Andierst,  then  proposed  that  the  thanks 
of  the  meeting  should  be  given  to  General  Dearborn,  for  hi?  able 


136 

and  eloquent  speech,  and  the  manner  in  which  he  hud  conducted 
the  Convention  to  its  happy  close,  after  the  departure  of  Govern- 
or Hubbar'^,  and  Mr.  Pryor — this  proposition  was  responded  to, 
by  all  standing  up  and  giving  three  hearty  cheers  for  the  (jenoral. 
In  acknowledging  the  spontaneous  complinient,  General  Dear- 
born said,  the  moral  effects  of  the  Convention  would  be  felt  far 
and  wide  even  if  no  Railroad  were  built  through  its  exertions, 
which  was  scarcely  possible — all  who  were  present  would  return 
to  theii  homes,  highly  gratified  with  all  they  had  seen  and  heard, 
as  he  felt  convinced,  no  person  could  retire  from  that  Convention 
without  feeling  his  heart  enlarged  with  good  ard  kindly  feelings, 
and  finding  himself  a  wiser  and  a  better  man. 

The  Convention  was  adjourned  sine  die,  with  three  notable  and 
astounding  cheers  for  the  success  of  "  The  European  and 
North  American  Railway." 


PllOCEE  DINGS 


OF  Tim 


EXECUTIVE  COMMITTEE. 


A  meeting  of  the  Central  Executive  Committee  of  the  Euro- 
pean and  North  American  Railway,  was  held  at  Portland  imme- 
diately after  the  adjournment  of  the  Convention. 

Present — 

J.  B.  UNIACKE, 
R.  B.  DICKEY, 
R,  JARDINE, 
GEORGE  BOTSFORD, 
A.  G.  CHANDLER, 
JOHN  A.  POOR. 

Hon.  Mr.  Uniacke  was  called  to  the  chair. 

A  telegraphic  despatch  was  received  from  Hon.  E.  L.  Ham- 
lin, signifying  his  acceptance  of  the  appointment  as  a  member 
of  the  Committe  of  Management. 

Voted,  That  John  A.  Poor,  Esq.,  be  uppointed  Cluiirinaii  of  the  Coumiit- 
tee,  and  R.  B.  Dickey,  Seer"',  ry. 

Voted,  That  a  Report  of  the  procuediiigs  of  the  Convention  be  prepared  nnder 
tlie  direction  of  the  Chairman. 

Voted,  That  the  expenses  of  the  Committee  be  apportioned  as  follows:  three- 
sevenths  to  Maine,  two-sevenths  to  New  Brunsvviek,  and  two-sevenths  to  Novu 
Scotia. 

Voted,  That  the  members  of  the  Committee  for  each  State  or  Province  take 
charge  of  the  work  of  collecting  the  same  for  their  respective  State  or  Province. 

Voted,  That  $1,400  be  raised  forthwith,  for  the  purpose  of  defraying  the  ex- 
pense of  publishing  the  proceedings,  and  a  Prospectus  of  the  enterprize. 

Voted,  That  Hon.  A.  G.  Chandler  take  charge  of  the  matter  of  procuring 
the  necessary  Charter  from  the  Legis'.dtnre  of  Maine  now  in  session. 

18 


ip 


138 

Vote  I,  Tim  .ippliciitiiiji  lir>  unili-  to  X\w  ('ongru.is  of  ihn  iriiilcd  States  fur  ;i 
Ihiw  iimlinri/iriL;  a  ciitilriif't  for  ("irryiiig  tlie  .Miiil.-<,  in  t'lo  cvfir  ofa  f'hartftr  licinp 
>;runte(l  by  llic  I,cf;i.<l:itiiri'  of  .Maim-. 

Voicil,  'riiiil  .AF('s.srn.  I'ofni,  Cha.vdi.eii  and  Hamlin,  Iji;  a  Committee  to 
taki;  fliarj;(i  of  said  application. 

Vote. I,  That  ajjplication  he  made  to  the  l?ritis!i  (iovernment  for  a  similar  Con- 
tract; and  that  Messrs.  I.'niackk,  Dickev,  Jaiidine  and  JJotskohd,  be  a 
Committee  to  take  charge  of  the  same. 

Vuti'l,  That  a  special  application  lie  made  in  the  several  Railway  {'ompanie.-i 
hctvveen  Xcw  Nork  and  I.oiulun,  inviting  their  co-operation  in  aid  of  the  Tiiro- 
pean  and  North  American  liaiKvay. 

Vote'l,  That  the  memli'Ts  of  the  Committee  for  each  State  or  Province  take 
charge  of  snch  matters,  in  their  respective  State  or  Province,  as  may  he  necessary 
to  carry  out  the  objects  and  purposes  of  the  Convention,  which  arc  not  specially 
a.-tsigned  by  the  (iencral  Committc'c. 

Voter!,  That  an  invitation  be  extended  to  the  Proprietors  of  the  Cunard  Lhte 
and  the  (,'ollins  Line  of  Steanu-rs,  to  become  interested  in  the  European  and 
North  American  Railway. 

Votfil,  That  a  special  appeal  be  made  to  the  Directors  of  the  Midland  Great 
Western  Railway  of  Ireland,  to  take  charge  of  the  matter  of  liringing  the  I'uro- 
pean  and  North  American  IJaiKvay  'o  the  attention  of  the  British  Government, 

and  to  the  capitalists  of  Europe. 

Voted,  That  a  Prospectus  be  drawn  up  by  the  Chairnum,  setting  forth,  in  a 
condensed  form,  the  claims  of  the  Kuropean  and  North  American  Railway  to  the 
contidence  of  capitalists  as  a  safe  and  profitable  mode  of  investment. 


On  the  return  of  the  members  of  the  Convention  to  their  res- 
pective constituencies  in  Nova  Scotia  and  New  Brunswiclt,  meet- 
ings were  held  to   receive  the  reports  of  the  Delegates, 

Of  the  meeting  in  St.  John,  on  the  15  of  August,  the  St.  John 
Courier  says  : — 

GRE.Vr  RAILWAY  MEETING. 


On  Thursday  inst.  at  3  P,  M.,  a  Public  Meeting  took  place  at 
the  Court  House  in  this  City,  pursuant  to  notice  from  the  High 
SjierifT,  to  receive  the  Report  of  the  Delegates  to  the  late  Rail- 
way Convention  at  Portland,  and  to  take  action  thereupon.  Be- 
fore the  hour  of  meeting  the  Court  Room  was  filled  in  every  part 


139 

and  wlicn  the  hour  arrived,  it  was  densely  croudtMl.  His  Honor, 
Judge  Strket,  was  present,  as  also  the  loading  nu-rchants,  citi- 
;:c(is  and  gentlemen  of  influence  and  standing  in  this  community. 
We  have  seldom  seen  a  meeting  which  cxliihitcd  u  greater  dis- 
play of  the  wealth,  the  intelligence,  and  the  business  talent  of 
our  city. 

The  meeting  was  called  to  order  hy  the  High  Sheriff,  who 
read  the  requisition  made  to  him  foi'  calling  it;  iilter  which,  the 
Hon.  John  Hobektson,  was  unanimously  nomiiiiilcd  Chairman, 
and  Vv'.  R.  M  Blrtis,  and  T.  Anoeln,  Esquires,  were  request- 
ed to  act  as  Secretaries  to  the  meeting. 

The  Chairman  hriefly  addressed  the  meeting. — This  meeting, 
coupled  with  the  late  Convention  held  at  Poitland,  he  I)elieved 
to  be  the  most  important  ever  held  in  this  Province.  The  sub- 
ject proposed  for  their  consideration  was  the  most  important,  as 
far  as  regards  the  welfare  of  these  Provinces,  ever  brought  be- 
fore them.  The  present  scheme  met  the  unanimous  approval  of 
all  parties;  and  il'it  received  the  same  encouragement  from  the 
Legislature  that  was  so  v;illingly  given  to  the  proposed  Halifax 
and  Quebec  Railroad,  then  he  felt  confident  that  it  would  be  far 
from  impossible  of  accomplishment.  He  saw  no  reason  why  it 
should  not  receive  the  same  le«-islative  encouragement;  and  lie, 
for  one,  was  prepared  to  give  it  freely.  There  were  always 
several  opinions  on  matters  of  this  kind;  his  was,  that  the  line 
could  and  would  be  built,  and  that  it  would  be  a  paying  line. 

Tho  speeches  on  the  occasion  were  both  brilliant  and  prac- 
tical. 

The  following  are  the  Resolutions  adopted  by  the  meeting  : — 

Moved  by  the  Hon.  Attorney  General;  seconded  by  M.  H. 
Perley,  Esq. 

1.  Resolved, — ^That  the  moa.-iures  adopted  by  the  liite  Railway  Convention 
at  Portland,  meet  the  hearty  approval  and  full  sanction  of  this  meeting;  and  fur- 
ther Resolved,  That  the  sincere  thanks  of  this  conniiunity  is  justly  due  to  the 
Committee  of  arrangements  at  Portland,  and  the  Citizens  of  that  place  genenilly, 
for  the  admirable  manner  in  which  the  Convention  was  managed,  and  for  the  at- 
tention and  kindness  to  the  Delegates  from  this  Province;  and  that  this  Bleeting 
responds  with  unuiingled  pleasure  to  the  nmtual  expressions  of  esteem  and  good- 
will which  so  universally  characterised  the  proceedings  of  the  Convention. 

Moved  by  Wm.  Jack,  Esq.  ;  seconded  by  Mr.  Joel  Reading, 


if- 


140 

2.  Ri'soleerl, — Thut  tho  projented  undertiiking  which  has  received  the  nppelln- 
tioii  of  "The  European  and  JVorth  Ameriran  Rail  Way,''''  is  rncognizcd  and 
adopted  hy  thi«  Met^tiiig  aH  one  which  ntTects  the  interents  of  every  British  subject, 
whether  resident  in  the  United  Kingdom  of  these  North  American  Colonies,  and 
that  on  national  grounds,  as  well  as  for  social,  political  i.nd  commercial  reasons, 
tliirt  Railway  onght  to  ho  made,  will  be  profitable  when  made,and  thorufore  muU 
be  made. 

Moved  by  John  H.  Gray,  Esq. ;  seconded  by  James  Whit- 
ney, Esq. 

3.  Remlved, — That  this  Meeting,  viewing  tho  vast  importance  of  the  proposed 
undertaking,  and  the  powerful  iijfluence  which  it  undoubtedly  will  exercise  upon 
the  future  destiny  of  tlmse  Colonies,  now  sincerely  and  firmly  resolves  to  aid  the 
enterprize  with  heart,  hand  and  purse;  and  fully  relies  on  every  man  in  the  Prov- 
ince to  exert  himself  to  the  utmost  of  his  power,  to  promote  the  progrei's  of  a 
work  which  involves  in  its  accomplishment  the  prosperity  and  the  dearest  inter- 
cstu  of  New  Brunswick. 

Moved  by  W.  J.  Ritchie,  Esq. ;  seconded  by  John  Wish- 
aRt,  Esq. 

4.  Resolved, — That  the  members  of  the  E.vecutive  Committee  in  this  Province, 
appointed  at  the  Portland  Convention,  be,  and  are  hereby  rer>ue8ted  to  open  books 
for  the  subscription  of  Stock  in  this  city  and  county.  And  liiat,  on  the  expiration 
of  thirty  days  from  this  date,  the  persons  so  subscribing  be  called  together  for  the 
purpose  of  nominating  a  local  Provisional  Committee  to  act  in  conjunction  with 
the  before  mentioned  Executive  Committee. 

Moved  by  William  Wright,  Esq.;  seconded  by  Mr.  J.  Mc- 
Farlane. 

5.  Resolved, — Tliat  this  Meeting  views  the  "European  and  North  American 
Railway"  as  an  enterprize  desthied  to  draw  closer  the  bonds  of  union  between 
these  Provinces  and  the  people  of  Ireland,  and  to  elevate  the  condition  and  pros- 
pects of  that  noble  portion  of  the  British  Empire ;  and  hails  with  lively  satisfaction 
the  spirited  effort  lately  made  from  Galway,  to  test  the  practicability  of  a  more 
rapid  communication  across  the  Atlantic. 

Moved  by  S.  L.  Tilley,  Esq.,  and  seconded  by  Mr.  G.  E. 

Fenety. 

6.  Resolve'.!, — That  the  Executive  Committee  do  immediately  proceed  to  tjike 
subscriptions  for  Stock  hi  the  "  European  and  North  American  Railway,"  upon 
tiie  uaderstaiuling  that  the  same  is  to  be  considered  as  one  undertaking  from  the 
east  of  Nova  Scotia  to  Bangor — to  be  incorporated  by  concurrent  charters  in 
Nova  Scotia,  New  Brunswick  and  Maine  ;  the  shares  to  be  one  hundred  dollars 
each,  payable  by  annual  instalments,  extending  over  a  period  ot  Jive  years  after 
the  Company  is  organized  ;  but  a  deposit  of  one  per  cent.,  (one  dollar  per  share) 
to  be  required  from  each  subscriber,  and  placed  at  the  dispo.sal  of  the  Executive 
Committee,  to  meet  preliminary  expenses. 


,    1 


141 


Moved  by  T.  G.  Hathaway,  Esq,;  seconded  by  RonEiiT  Jar- 
dine,  Esq. 

7.  Resolved, — Tliat  copi,->*  of  these  llesoUitions  be  tran.Mniitfed  to  her  Most 
Gracious  Majesty  the  Cimei,  to  the  IVIayoM  of  I^ondon,  (JlaKgow,  Liverpool, 
Dublin,  Cork,  Gnlway,  Ilul.fax,  tiucbec,  Montreal,  Bangor,  I'orllaml,  Roxbury, 
Boston,  and  New  York  ;  and  to  the  Chief  Miigistnites  of  such  other  cities  in  Eu- 
rope and  America  as  may  be  conaidtred  interested  in  the  undertaking. 

All  the  foregoing  Resolutions  were  carried  unanimously ;  and 
at  the  closing  of  the  meeting  three  tremendous  cheers  were  given 
for  the  North  American  and  European  Railway. 

The  Executive  Committee  on  consultation,  dissented  from  the 
sixth  Resolution  as  far  as  relates  to  the  extending  the  time  of  pay- 
ment to  five  years,  and  adopted /Arec  years  a  sa  substitute  and  the 
following  are  the  terins  of  subscription  adopted  in  New  Brunswick. 

We,  whose  names  are  hereunto  subscribed,  do,  each  one  for  himself,  agree 
with  John  A  Poor,  of  Portland;  Anson  G.  Chandler,  of  Calais;  Elijah  L,  Ham- 
lin, of  Bangor,  of  the  State  of  Maine;  James  B.  Uniacke,  of  Halifax;  R.  B. 
Dickie,  of  Amherst,  Nova  Scotia;  George  Bot.sford,  of  Fredcrickton,  and  Rob- 
ert Jardine,  of  Saint  John,  New  Brunswick, — the  Executive  Committee,  ap- 
pointed at  a  Convention  lately  held  at  Portland,  in  the  United  States  of  North 
America,  for  the  purpose  of  devising  means  to  be  adopted  to  insure  the  construc- 
tion of  a  Railroad,  to  extend  from  Portland,  in  the  State  of  Maine,  in  a  continu- 
ous land  route  through  the  Province  of  New  Brunswick,  to  a  suitable  point,  or 
terminus,  on  the  East  coast  of  the  Province  of  Nova  Scotia,  and  to  be  called 
"The  European  and  North  American  Railway," — that  we  will,  so  soon  as  a 
Charter  or  concurrent  Charters  Cim  be  obtained  from  the  Legislatures  of  the 
State  of  Maine  and  Provinces  of  New  Brunswick  and  Nova  Scotia,  for  incorpor- 
ating such  Company,  subscribe  for  and  take  Stock  in  such  Corporation,  or  con- 
current Corporations,  to  the  number  of  Shares  set  opposite  our  names  in  this 
Book.     Such  Shares  to  be  to  the  amount  of  one  hundred  dollars  each. 

And  for  the  purpose  of  binding  us  fully  in  this  matter,  we  do  request  the  said 
Committee  to  use  their  utmost  endeavors  to  accomplish  the  contemplated  object; 
and  we  do,  each  one,  on  signing  our  names  hereto,  pay  to  such  Committee  one 
per  cent,  on  the  amount  of  Stock  so  agreed  to  be  taken,  to  meet  any  preliminary 
or  other  expenses  that  may  be  requisite  for  obtaining  the  due  Incorporation  of  the 
said  Company,  or  to  be  used  in  aid  of  the  construction  of  the  Road.  It  being 
understood  that  for  such  one  per  cent,  we  shall  be  credited  on  our  said  Stock ; 
and  that  the  remaining  payments  for  such  Stock  shall  be  extended  over  a  period 
of  three  years,  so  that  no  more  than  one  third  be  called  in,  in  any  one  year. 

Similar  meetings  have  been  held  in  Fredericton,  and  other 
places  in  New  Brunswick,  and  Resolutions  adopted  of  the  most 
spirited  character,but  it  is  thought  unnecessary  to  give  them  in  full. 


142 

A  meeting  of  thn  citizens  of  Halifux  was  holdon  on  tho  '2.5lh 
of  August,  to  receive  the  report  oftlic  Delegates  to  the  Railway 
Convention  recently  held  at  Portland,  His  Worship  the  Mayor 
was  chosen  to  [)residc  over  the  meeting,  and  .loscpii  Wiiidden, 
Ksq  ,  was  a])pointed  Secretary . 

His  Worship  reported  to  the  meeting,  the  fulfilment  of  the 
Halifax  Dcle;t,'alion  to  tho  Portland  Convention,  as  he  did  on 
Wednesday  to  the  City  Council. 

The  meeting  was  ably  and  enthusiastically  addressed  hy  the 
following  gentlemen,  namely,  Hon.  J.  IJ.  Uniacke,  Croflon  Uni- 
acke,  Esq.,  Alderujan  Roche  and  Caldwell,  Hon.  J.  E.  Fair- 
hanks,  Hon.  William  Young,  A.  M.  Uniacke,  Esq.,  Hon.  Hugh 
Bell,  Benj.  Wier,  Esq.,  Hon.  J.  W.  Johnston,  Hon.  Joseph 
Howe,  ll(m.  G.  R.  Young,  Thomas  R.  Grassie,  Esq.,  and  the 
Hon.  H.  H.  Cogswell. 

The  following  resolutions  were  unanimously  passed  : 

Moved  hy  Alderman  W.  Roche  and  seconded   by  Alderman 

W.  Caldwell. 

Ist. — Resolved, — Thiit  the  report  of  the  Halifax  Delegates  of  their  proceed- 
ings relalive  to  the  construclioti  of  the  European  and  North  American  Railway, 
be  now  received  and  that  IFi.M  Worship  the  Mayor,  tho  Hon.  the  Attorney  Clener- 
al,  and  the  Hon.  .lolin  K.  I'airbaiiks,  do  now  receive  from  tho  citizens  of  Halifax 
their  most  cordial  and  grateful  thanks  for  tho  valuable  services  they  rendered  to 
this  Province  liy  conducting  to  a  successful  issue  their  mission  to  the  Railroad 
Convention  at  Portland. 

Moved  by  Hon  W.  Young,  Seconded  by  A.  M.  Uniacke,  Esq. 

2nd. — Resolved, — As  the  opinion  of  this  tneeling  that  the  European  andNorth 
American  Railway,  projected  by  the  Convention  recently  held  in  Portland,  is  an 
undertaking  that  commends  itself  to  the  favorable  consideration  of  tho  people  of 
Nova  Scotia. 

Moved  by  Hon.  H.  Bell,  and  seconded  by  B.  Wier,  Esq. 

Whereas  the  Convention  recently  held  at  Portland  did  not  decide  upon  the 
terminus  of  the  projected  Railroad  on  the  Eastern  coast  of  iNova  Scotia. 

3d. — Resolved, — That  it  is  the  opinion  of  this  meeting  that  the  Harbor  of  Hal- 
ifax is  the  only  suitable  pla(!e  for  the  terminuK  of  the  North  American  Railway 
in  Nova  Scotia. 

Moved  by  the  Hon.  Joseph  Howe,  and  seconded  by  Thos  R. 
Grassie,  Esq. — 

4th. — Resolved — That  as  it  is  the  first  duty  of  a  government  to  construct  and 
to  control  the  Great  Highways  of  a  Country — a  respectful  address  be  prepared 


143 


Zfith 

lilway 
klayoi- 
•Iden, 


utui  iiroMontml  to  llie  Lieut,  (iovcrnor,  pr»|iiig  llmt  iii:«  F.xcolloiiry  wouki  reonni- 
niitnil  tn  lhi>  Priiviiiciiil  I'arlinincnt  to  iiiitlcrtuko  tli<>  rdiititriirlion  of  timt  |iortioii 
iif  lliiH  itiiportaiit  work  wlik-h  in  to  pass  through  Ndmi  Hcotiu,  un  u  linu  bctwr.en 
llalifax  uiid  the  frontier  of  New  Hruniivvirk. 

Moved  by  Hoti.  William  Young,  seconded  by  the  Hon.  H. 
Bell. 

5th. — Refiilrrd — That  Ili.s  Worship  the  .Mayor  and  the  City  Council,  be  a 
C,\)intnittee  to  pri'p;i'"  and  priisent  an  uddre!<8  to  Ilis  I'.xcell  Miry  under  the  furugu- 
ing  resolution. 

Moved  by  the  Hon  J.  Ilowe,  seconded  ')y  Hon.  II.  Bell. 

(ith. — Rcsolrctl — That  in  the  event  of  llalifax  bciii^  selected  as  the  terminnv 
of  the  Kuropean  and  North  American  Railway,  agreeably  to  the  Report  of  the 
(y'onunissioners  appointed  by  tin;  Imperial  (iovernment  to  survey  u  line  from  Hal- 
ifax to  Ciuebee,  that  the  Legislature  Ix-  authorised  to  puss  an  aet,  necuring  the 
annual  huiii  of  five  thousand  pounds  to  be  raised  by  an  i^qiial  rate  upon  property 
of  the  inhabitants  of  the  City  nn<i  County  of  Halifax,  provided  xuch  contribution 
be  required  to  pay  the  interest  of  the  capital  expended. 

On  the  28th  of  August  the  Mayor  and  City  Council  of  Hali- 
fax waited  on  His  Excellency  Sir  John  Harvey  with  the  following 
address,  in  accordance  with  the  instructions  of  the  public  meet- 
ing. 

TO  Hiy  EXCELLRNCV  LIEUTKN.ANT  GENERAL  SIR  JOHN  HARVEY, 

Knight  Commander  of  the  Most  Honorable  Military  Order  of  the  Kath,  Knight 
Commander  of  the  Royal  Hanoverian  Guelphic  Order,  Lieutenant-Governor 
and  Commander  in  Chief,  in  and  over  her  Majesty's  Province  of  Nova  Scotia, 
and  its  Dependencies,  &c.  &c.  &r. 

The  Mayor  and  Aldermen  of  the  City  of  Halifax,  now  in  Common  Council 
convened,  respectfully  request  to  bring  to  the  notice  of  Your  Excellency  the 
accompanying  Resolution  which  was  passed  unanimously  at  a  very  large  and  in- 
fluential meeting  of  the  Citizens  of  Halifax  held  on  Saturday  last  in  this  city,  to 
consider  the  subject  of  the  proposed  European  and  North  American  Railway. — 
They  vvould  respectfully  urge  upon  Your  Excollency  the  importance  of  the  sub- 
ject, Hs  one  more  worthy  than  any  other,  in  the  present  aspect  of  affairs  in  Nova 
Scotia,  to  engage  the  attention  and  enlist  the  sympathies  and  exertions  of  the 
(iovernmenl — The  completion  of  the  great  work  contemplated  by  the  Resola- 
tions,  will  not  only  elevate  this  Province  to  the  ino.st  conspicuous  and  important 
position  on  the  Western  Continent,  by  rendering  it  the  direct  channel  of  comma- 
nication  between  our  Parent  Country  and  the  United  States  on  the  most  enlarged 
and  magnificent  scale;  but  the  rich,  though  now  unproductive  resources  of  our 
Province,  both  Mineral  and  Agricultural,  will  become  developed  and  made  avail- 
able to  the  public  good — its  Commercial  Fnterests  rapidly  advanced — and  its  Rev- 
enues materially  aided  and  increased.     They  therefore  cordially  concur  with  the 


144 


<<)>nliiiiei<tii  rnntiiinml  in  ihi!  encliMfxl  RpMiluiion,  nml  doiihiing  not  (Imt  Voiir  F.x. 
rpllenry  tiikeM  a  tUtcp  iiitercut  in  evrry  prnj(>ct  whirli  inn  n  temlenry  ti)  oilvancn 
tlin  intcrpHt  of  tliiii  I'rovinr«',  they  r»"4|>pclfully  prsiy  that  Your  Kxri-llniiry  would 
riiroiiitiiciitl  totlii- I'rovitirial  l'ariiani)-iit  to  uii(l)>rtnk<- tilt;  ronfltrurtioii  of  that  |K)r- 
tion  of  thin  important  work  which  iH  to  paM  throuj^h  Nova  Hcotio,  on  a  line  bc- 
iwpcn  Ilaiifiix  ami  tli<!  Frontier  of  Now  nrniiKwlrk. 

Anil  tin;  Mayor  and  (,'ity  (.'ouncil  would  narn  'ntly  prens  upon  Your  Excellency 
till!  propriety  of  callin(»  toi^ether  the  Legixlature  nt  uh  »'nrly  n  period  as  practicable, 
in  order  that  thi^ir  setitinientM  may  Ih>  aHcertaineil  on  {\m  important  Huhjort. 

" Regolveil ,  That  hh  it  i.s  the  lirHt  duty  of  a  (JoverMmeiit  to  ronstruct  and  to 
control  the  great  highways  of  a  country,  a  re;<pertful  Address  he  prepared  and 
presented  to  the  Lieutenant  (lovernor,  praying  that  Ilia  Excellency  would  rec- 
omiiiend  to  the  I'rovitieial  Parliament  to  undertake  the  construction  of  that  por- 
tion of  this  important  work  which  is  to  pa<4s  through  Nova  i^cotia  on  a  line  be- 
tween Halifax  and  tho  frontier  of  New  Brunswick." 

Ry  and  on  behalf  of  the  City  Council, 

IICNRY  PllYOR,  Mayor. 

To  which  Mis  Excellency  made  the  following  Reply: 

Mr.  Mayor  and  GcnlUmcn  : — 

You,  and  the  highly  rospectahle  meeting  by  which  you  linve  been  deputed  to 
address  me,  do  not  do  me  more  than  justice  in  believing  that  I  feel  moat  deeply 
interested  in  whatever  relates  to  the  ancient  and  loyal  colony  which  our  grucioiia 
Sovereign  hasconnnitted  to  my  charge,  and  that  I  regard  it  as  my  tirst  duty  to 
do  all  that  depends  upon  ine  to  promote  it. 

The  Resolution  which  you  have  just  presented,  embodies  what  appears  to  me 
to  be  enlightened  and  sound  views,  suited  to  the  age  in  which  we  live.  The  cost 
of  constructing  railroads  \a  light  compared  with  the  cost  of  doing  without  them. 
Nova  Scotia  owes  it  to  her  own  character  to  adopt,  as  speedily  as  she  may,  im- 
proved facilities  for  the  transportiUion  of  her  people,  with  the  prinlucts  of  their 
industry.  She  owes  it  to  the  civilized  world  to  make  her  portion  of  "The  Euro- 
pean and  North  x\merican  Railroad,"  which  must  become  the  shortest  highway 
between  the  great  families  of  the  Anglo  Saxon  race. 

Be  assured  that  my  (iovernment  will  approach  this  great  question  without  de- 
lay, and  with  an  earnestness  commensurate  with  its  deep  importance;  and  that 
it  will  ufTord  me  very  sincere  gratification  to  identify  myself  with  this  work,  and 
to  become,  in  any  way,  personally  instrumental  in  realizing  the  hopes  entertained 
by  the  Citizens  of  Halifax.  J.  HARVEY, 

Government  House,  Halifax, 

August  28,  1850. 


Meetings  of  a  similar  character  have  been  subsequently  held 
at  Amherst,  Pictou,  and  other  parts  of  the  Province,  which  were 
very  fully  attended;  and  the  utmost  enthusiasm  was  manifested 
at  each  for  the  success  of  the  road. 


'liHi 


M5 


A  correspondence  has  been  opened  with  the  Packet  Station 
Committee  at  Galway  in  Ireland;  nnd  on  the  '>th  of  September, 
1850,  at  a  meeting  of  aaid  Committee,  on  motion  of  A.  O.  Fi.a- 
nEBTr,   Ksq.,  M.  P.,  and  seconded  by  T.  M.  I'krsek,  Kaq., 

RrtoU'Cil,  That  (iiir  Chiiirmaii,  the  Itcv.  I'.  I>ai.v,  In-  rriiucntiHl  to  arknowl- 
tnlge  on  uur  part,  tlii!  variouit  chrKriiig  and  tMilLsfactor)-  rdiiiiniiiiu'alioiiii  receivud 
from  Aiiu^rica ;  and  to  enter  into  corroHpondeiicH  with  the  (/'unnnitteex  of  Port- 
land, Ilatifi.v  and  New  MrunHwirlt,  ex[)rri<sinj5oiir  an  '.i  (y  to  co-opt'rate  with  tlit-in 
in  every  (losKiblo  way,  in  rarrying  out  the  great  object  we  have;  niutti.iliy  ut 
heart.* 

The  Legislature  of  Maine  promptly  responded  to  every  re- 
quest of  the  Convention. 

The  Revised  Statutes  of  Maine,  ch.  81,  provide  that  no 
Railroad  charter  shall  be  granted  iil!  the  line  has  been  carefully 
surveyed,  aod  the  proper  plans,  profiles  and  estimates  thereof 
duly  exhibited.  But,  in  this  instance,  all  these  requirements 
were  waived;  and  the  Hon.  George  M.  Chase,  of  Calais,  intro- 
duced into  the  Senate  of  Maine,  by  unanimous  consent,  a  Bill 
for  incorporating  the  European  and  North  American  Railway; 
which  Bill  became  a  Law,  August  20,  1850.  This  Charter  is 
one  of  unequalled  liberality,  and  such  as  has  not  before  been 
granted  ia  New  England;  perpclual  in  duration,  not  subject  to 
Legislative  alteration;  the  Company  not  subject  j  any  taxation, 
and  the  stockholders  are  not  liable  for  the  debts  of  the  Company 
beyond  the  assessments  on  their  stock.  The  Company  may  or- 
ganize on  the  subscription  of  one  million  of  dollars,  and  locate 
its  line  on  the  most  practical  route  to  the  boundary  of  Maine,  in 
the  general  direction  of  the  city  of  St.  John. 

By  a  subsequent  Act,  approved  Aug.  27,  it  is  provided  that,  in' 
case  said  Company  shall  be  constituted  a  corporation  in  the 
Provinces  of  Ne>v  Brunswick  and  Nova  Scotia,  or  cither  of 
them,  then  and  in  that  case,  the  Company  may  increase  its  capi- 
tal stock  to  an  amount  sufficient  to  complete  the  line  through 
said  Provinces,  not  exceeding  ,^15,000,000.  By  the  Laws  of 
Maine,  the  Company  has  the  right  to  issue  Bonds  and  to  hire 
money  without  further  legislation. 

On  the  20th  day  of  August,  the  Legislature  appropriated  five 
thousand  dollars  for  a  reconnoisance  and  preliminary  survey  of 
the  line. 


*See  Note  A. 


19 


146 


n>i 


And,  on  the  28lh  day  of  August,  by  a  Resolve  of  the  Legisla- 
ture, the  Governor  of  f 'aine  was  authorized  and  requested  to 
communicate  to  the  President  and  Congress  of  the  United  States, 
from  time  to  time,  such  information  as  he  might  deem  it  advis- 
able to  lay  bef  -ethem,  as  to  the  advantages  of  the«ro"»teihrough 
Maine,  proposed  lor  the  European  and  North  American  Rail- 
way, for  securing  .he  most  direct  and  lapid  communication 
between  this  country  and  Europe,  and  lo  invite  such  aid  and 
co-operation  on  the  part  of  the  General  Government  as  the  inter- 
ests of  Maine  might  requii-e. 

Tht  Governor  immediately  commissioned  A.  C.  Morton,  Esq. 
to  take  charge  of  the  Survey;  who  at  once  entered  upon  the  dis- 
charge of  the  service,  and  placed  two  surveying  parties  in  the 
field,  Hon.  Amos  Pickard,  of  Hampden,  acting  as  Commis- 
sioner. John  VVilkinsoiv,  Esq.,  the  Engineer  in  charge  of  tha 
Survey  from  St.  John  to  the  boundary  of  Maine,  and  Mr.  Mor- 
ton, had  a  m'^eting  at  tlie  Boundary,  and  the  two  surveys  are 
made  in  cot  cert,  by  the  arrangements  of  the  two  Engineers. 
It  is  believed  that  before  the  close  of  the  present  year,  the  Sur- 
veys can  be  so  far  advanced  as  to  show,  in  connection  with  pre- 
vious surveys,  the  most  direct  and  practicable  line  from  Bangor, 
in  Maine,  to  Halifa.x  or  Whitehaven.  Enough  is  already  ascer- 
tained, to  sho'  that  no  serious  engineering  diiHculties  will  be 
found  on  any  part  of  (he  line,  and  that  the  distance  will  fall  be- 
low the  previous  estimates. 

The  several  Acts  and  Resolves  of  Maine  will  be  found  in  the 
Appendix.  It  will  bo  perceived  that  by  a  simple  Act  of  ea<Jh  Prov- 
ince, of  New  Brunswick  and  Nova  Scotia,  constituting  the  Euro- 
pean and  North  American  Railway,  as  incorporated  by  the  State 
of  Maine,  a  corporation  within  said  Provinces,  with  the  right 
to  exercise  the  several  powers  granted — in  the  same  manner, 
and  to  the  same  extent,  and  under  the  same  limitations  and  re- 
strictions as  are  contained  in  the  charter  granted  in  Maine — that 
the  most  ample  corporate  powers  are  secured  to  said  Company 
forever. 

The  terms  of  subscription  proposed  are  also  given  in  the  Ap- 
pendix.    It  may  be  tiiuught  advisable  to  add  an  additional  pro- 
vision stipulating  that  the  subscriptions  made  in  Maine  shall  be" 
expended  in  that  State,  and  those  made  in  New  Brunswick  to  be 


147 

expended  in  the  said  Province,  and  those  made  in  Nova  Scotia 
to  be  exp«  nded  in  Nova  Scotia.  - 

It  was  not  thought  advisable  to  issue  the  account  of  the 
Proceedings  of  the  Convention,  until  the  necessary  legislation 
was  secured  in  Maiiie.  In  New  Brunswick  the  conditional  sub- 
scriptions to  stock  are  being  taken,  on  the  terms  heretofore  set 
foith. 

The  Prospectus  of  the  Committee,  and  the  Reports  of  the  En- 
gineers when  mnde,  will  place  all  the  additional  information  be- 
fore the  public  which  is  required  for  a  proper  appreciation  of  the 
merits  of  the  enterprize. 

The  Map  issued  herewith  is  the  one  published  by  order  of  the 
Legislature  of  Maine.  It  is  expected  that  with  the  Report  of 
A.  C.  Morton,  Engi-ieer,  an  elaborate  map  will  be  issued,  show- 
ing all  the  details  of  the  route. 


wr 


NOTE   A. 

The  Galwaij  Vindicator,  of  Sept.  18th,  1850,  has  an  elahorate 
article  upon  the  comparative  advantages  of  Galway  and  Cork  for 
a  station  for  the  English  Mail  Steamers,  which  is  of  so  much 
interest  at  the  present  time,  that  we  give  some  extracts  from  it:- 

"No  port  in  Europe  ia  so  well  adapted  for  a  Trans-Atlantic  Packet  Station,  aa 
(lalway,  both  on  account  of  its  greater  proximity  to  America,  and  the  local  ad- 
vantages which  it  in  every  way  posse.sse.i.  The  Bay  of  (Jalway  is  known  to 
«vcry  mariner.  From  Galway,  the  largest  vessel  that  ever  floated  can  sail  at  any 
time  of  tide.  In  any  wind  there  is  no  heavy  sea  in  the  Bay  of  (ialvvay — no  sn^, 
m  fact,  in  which  common  Claddagh  fishing  boats  could  not  live;  for  the  high- 
rolling  waves  of  the  Allanlic  are  coiiipletoly  shut  out  by  the  Islands  of  Arran, 
so  that  with  any  wind,  a  steamer  can  experience  no  difficulty  whatever  on  leav- 
ing or  making  the  port  of  Galway. 

It  IS  well  known  that  the  holding  ground  of  Galway  is  the  first  in  the  world.  A 
we  found  vessel  has  never  been  known  even  in  tlie  greatest  siorms  to  drift  from 
her  moorings  at  the  Galway  roadstead;  but  even  should  any  accident  occur,  such 
as  the  snapping  of  cables,  which  is  next  to  i-npossible  on  account  of  the  sheltered 
position  of  the  bay,  vessels  would  only  have  to  run  down  a  short  distance  to  Ard- 
fry,  where  they  will  find  a  regular  safety  harbour,  and  can  lie  in  (he  deep  mud 
in  perfect  security;  but  we  have  splendid  docks  capable  of  containing  a  large  num- 
ber of  shipping. 

Now  for  the  soundings.  The  bay  of  Galway  is  entered  from  the  deep  Atlantic 
by  either  of  the  four  Arran  sounds;  the  Arran  lights  can  be  seen  far  out  at  sea, 
and  the  niarhier  cannot,  therefore,  nnstake  his  bearing.  Once  the  bay  is  entered 
—a  sheltered  bay  eleven  miles  wide,  thirty  inile.s  in  length  and  of  sulHcient  depth 
to  float  the  largest  fleet  that  ever  ploughed  the  deep— once,  we  rej)eat,  the  Liles 
of  Arran  have  been  passed  neither  sounding  nor  pilot  is  requiied  until  the  vessel 
swings  round  at  anchor  in  the  roads;  and  what  is  most  remarkable,  only  one  fog, 
we  believe,  was  seen  in  our  bay  for  the  last  twenty  years.  Although  soundings 
are  not  so  nuicli  required  in  making  the  Hay  of  Galway  as  in  steering  for  the  dan- 
gerous and  iron  bound  coast  of  Cork,  still  we  are  [jcculiarly  favoured  in  iliat  res- 
pect. The  ling  bank  extends,  from  the  Islands  of  Arran,  one  hundred  and  fifty 
miles  into  the  broad  Atlantic,  and  aflbrds  every  facility  fcr  taking  soundings,  and 
its  nature  is  such  that  the  experienced  seaman,  long  before  he  discovers  land  and 
in  the  thickest  fog,  can  tell  to  a  yard  how  many  miles  ho  is  from  the  Islands  of 
Arran.  In  fair  or  foul  weather  he  has  this  unerrhig  guide  to  show  him  what  dis- 
tance he  is  oft'  the  Western  coast  of  Ireland.  Perhaps  in  approaching  any  other 
port  in  the  three  kingdoms  a  sinnlar  advantage  cannot  be  boasted. 


150 

There  is  another  fact  worthy  of  remark,  to  which  onr  attention  has  just  been  di- 
rected, and  it  is  this:— On  the  South  Island  of  Arran  there  u  a  deep  brackish  lake 
of  considerable  extent,  just  separated  from  the  seu  by  a  small  ridge  which  only 
requires  to  be  cut  away,  and  the  necessary  works  completed,  to  give  us  one  of 
the  most  commodious  safety  harbours  in  the  world.  The  water  power  which  Gal- 
way  has  at  its  disposal,  and  all  the  capabilities  it  affords  for  internal  traffic,  with 
its  inland  lakes,  now  almost  navigable,  places  it  far  in  advance  of  Cork:  how- 
ever, Cork  is  a  large  and  flourshing  city,  containing  much  of  intellect  and  enter- 
prise; and  what  is  more — men  of  patriotism — we  iiave,  therefore,  much  to  dread 
from  its  opposition,  for  the  panic  (mbinet  of  Queen  Victoria  are  prepared  to 
sacrifice  every  thing  without  a  scruple— without  a  single  qualm  of  conscience,  to 
expediency.  If  Cork  place  itself  in  a  position  to  annoy  them,  we  would  not  give 
a  farthing  for  their  good  graces.  Our  only  hope  lies  on  the  opposite  shores  of  the 
Atlantic,  where  a  noble  race  of  freemen  have  taken  up  their  abodes — men  who 
will  not  be  influenced  by  the  weight  of  circumstances  to  act  contrary  to  their 
convictions.  They  have  set  their  eyes  on  Galway  as  the  port  of  departure  for 
America,  and  have  already  held  out  the  hand  of  fellowship  to  us.  We  are» 
therefore,  sanguine  of  succesa,  and  expect  yet  to  see  Galway  one  of  the  greates 
Maports  in  the  world." 


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INDEX 

TO  PRINCIPAL  MATTERS. 


Advantages  of  Whitehaven  Harbor,      -  .  . 

Amherst,  Nova  Scotia,  Meeting  at  -  - 

Annapolis  Royal,  Meeting  at    - 

Amherst,  Trade  of  .... 

Appieton  M.  L.,  Letter  of         -  -  -  - 

Appleton  John,  Speech  of  ... 

Angers  F.  R.,        "       «<  . 

Address  to  Sir  John  Harvey,  .  .  _ 

Bridgetown,  N.  S.,  Meeting  at  .  .  . 

Bangor,  Maine,  "        "  . 

Bradbury,  Hon.  J.  W.,  Letter  of  -  -  - 

Buckingham,  Hon.  J.  T.,  «     "      . 

Bache,  Dr.  F.,  "     " 

Biiyard,  Dr.  Robert,  Speech  of        - 

Binney,  Stephen,  <<      i< 

Circular  of  Portland  Committee,     ... 

Chadbourne,  Hon.  L  R.,  Speech  of      - 

Committee  to  report  organization. 

Committee  on  Business,  -  .  .  . 

Colchester,  N.  S.,  Meeting  at  -  -  - 

Calais,  Maine,  «        u  .  .  . 

Cumberland,  Trade  of         -  -  -  . 

Curtis,  T.  B.,  Letter  of  .  -  -  - 

Cooley,  Geo.  W.,  "  «'        . 

Chickering,  Jesse    "  " 

Champlin,  Prof.  J.  T.,  Letter  of      . 

Carruthers,  Rev.  Dr.  J.  J.,  "  " 

Chandler,  Hon.  E.  B.,  Speech  of     - 

Continuous  land  route  adopted. 

Comparison  of  Routes,        .... 

Central  Executive  Committee,    ... 

Chase,  Hon.  Geo.  M.,  Motion  for  Bill  granting  Charter, 


Paog. 
4 

33 

34 

44 

63 

80 

95 

14S 

89 

42 

51 

69 

69 

98 

130 

12 

16 

17 

19-83 

29 

42 

45-47 

66 

70 

70 

72 

75 

92 

108 

103 

133 

145 


w 


162 

f 'hnrtr-r  granted  in  Mainf-,            --....  145 

Distance  from  Halifax  to  (luehec,                 -            .             .            .  jj 
Dickey,  R.  B.  Es,q.,  Speech  of                 -            .            .             .            -101 

Dearhorii,  Hon.  II.  A.  S.  "  "          -            .            -             .            .  109 

Doings  of  Executive  Coniniittee,              -            -            -             -             -  137 

Doings  of  Packet  Station  f'onnnitlee,  (ialway,         ...  145 

Extent  of  Territory  in  L'nited  States,       .....  7 

Extent  of          do      "  New  Urunswick,        ....  114 

Emigration  to  l'nited  Slates,       ......  7.71 

Earl  (irey's  Despatch,         ......  i\ 

Everett,  Hon.  Edward,  Letter  of              .....  49 

Estimate  of  husiness  in  Nova  Scotia              ....  43-49 

Estimate  "        "        "  i\ew  Bruuswick,              ....  98-99 

Exports  of  Nova  Scotia,       ......  106 

Exports  of  New  Brunswick,        ......  114 

Executive  Committee  doings  of        -            -            -            -            .  133 

First  movements  toward  Scheme,             .....  4 

Fillmore,  the  Tresideut  of  the  l'nited  State     Letter  of         .            -  49 
Frazier,  J.  B.,  Speech  of             ....             -      91-101-135 

Forsyth,  J.  B.,         "     "      .             -             .             .             .             .  93 

Fairhankn,  Hon.  J.  E.,  Speech  of             .            _            -             .             .  112 

Fisher,  Hon.  Charles,         "      "      -             .             .            .            .  115 

Frederickton,  Meeting  at            -...--  37 

Grey  Earl,  Despatch  of  as  to  Quehec  and  Halifax  K.  R.,    -            -  28 

Granville,  N.  S,,  Meeting  at       _--...  23 

Ciuarautee  in  aid  of  Halifax  and  Windsor  R.  R.,     ...  28 
Gerry,  Hon  E.,  Letter  of            -             .             -            -             -            -52 

Gait,  A.  T.            "     "      .            .            .            .            .            .  56 

Goodwin,  I.,         "     "               -             -             .            -            .             -  59 

Gray,  J.  H.,  Speech  of       .....            .  95 

Grade  on  the  line  from  Halifax  to  St.  John,         .            -            -             -  124 

Gov.  Huhhard,  Speerli  of  --.-..  18 
Galwuy,  Latitude  and  Longitude  of        -             -            -            .            .4 

Galway,  Packet  Station  Committee,             ....  145 

Huhhard,  Gov.,  Speech  of         .             -             -             .            .             -  18 

Halifax  and  Windsor  Railway,        -             .             -             -            .  27 

Ilandiu,  Hon.  H.,  Letter  of        ......  51 

Hall,  .lolui  Clark,  Speech  of            ....            .  78 

Halifax  meeting  on  return  of  Delegates,               ....  142 

Harvey's,  Sir  Joiin  reply  to  Address  of  Mayor  and  Council  of  Halifax,  143 

Licrease  of  Population  in  United  States  from  1790  to  1S40,               -  7 

Imports  into  Nova  Scotia,           ......  107 

"         "     New  Brunswick,           .....  114 

Johnson,  Pro*",  W.  R.,  Letler  of              .....  61 

Jackson,  Dr.  C.  T.,         "      "        .            .            .                         .  62 

.Tohnston,  Hon.  J.  W.,  Speech  of            .....  89 

Kentville,  N.  S.,  meeting  at            -            -            -            -            -  25 


153 


Kerr,  J.  B.  N.,  Speech  of 

Latrobe  B.  II.,  Letter  of     - 

Lands  granted  in  New  Brunswick, 

Little  J.  S.,  Speech  of         -  .  . 

Movement  in  Maine  toward  Scheme, 

Meeting  of  the  (.'onvention. 

Memorial  from  Cnnville,  N.  S., 

"      Annapolis,  N.  S.,    - 
Meeting  at  Kcntville,  N.  S., 

"       in  Westmoreland,  N.  B,, 

"      at  Colchester,  N.  S., 

"       "  Wallace,  N.  S., 

"       "  Pugwash,  N.  S., 

"       "  Amherst,  N.  S., 

"       "  Annapolis  Royal,  N.  S., 

"       "  St.  John,  N.  B., 

"       "  St.  Stephens,  N.  B., 

"       "  Fredrickton,  N.  B., 

"       "  Bridgetown,  N.  S., 

"       "  Calais,  Maine, 

"       "  Bangor,     "  -  . 

Maury  Lieut  M.  F.,  Letter  of  - 

Moffatt  Hon,  Geo.         "       "    . 
Major  Robinson's  Survey, 
McFarlane  James,  Sheech  of 
Morton  A.  C,  appointed  Engineer, 
Meeting  at  St.  Jolui  on  return  of  the  Delegates, 

"       "  Halifax, 
Neal  D,  A.,  Letter  of     - 
Onslow,  N.  S.,  Trade  of     - 
Owen  Admiral,  services  of         - 
Petition  to  Legislature  of  Maine, 
Piotou,  meeting  at  -  - 

Pugwash    "       >'  -  .  . 

Pictou,  Trade  of  ... 

Parsboro',  "    "         . 
Phonnix  J.  Phillips,  Letter  of 
Pruyn  John  V.  L.,      "       «« 
Pond  Rev.  Dr.  E.        "       " 
Pryor  Hon.  Henry,  Speech  of 
Perley  M.  H.,  Speech  of 
Poor  John  A.,      "       "        . 
President  of  the  United  States,  Letter  of 
Provigional  Subscription  in  N.  B., 
Rantoul,  Hon.  R.  Jr.,  Speech  of 
Reed,  B.  T.  Letter  of  -  -  - 


-  103 

74 

-  114 
126 

4 
16 
28 
27 
25 
28 
29 
31 
31 
33 
34 
35 
37 
87 
39 
42 
42 
63 
67 
120 

-  129 
146 

-  138 
142 

68 
43 

-  113 

4 

25 

31 

.  46-47 

46 

63 

64 

68 

104-132 

113 

133 

49 

141 

20 


154 


Rogerson,  Jamns  J.  Letter  of    - 

7S 

Report  of  Committee  on  buaineas    -            .            .            .            - 

83 

Resolutions,       -            -            -            -            -            -            - 

83 

Resolutions  finally  passed,                   .... 

132-133 

Resolutions  passed  at  St.  John,  after  Convention 

188 

"            "            Halifax,      "          ««              ... 

142 

Route  through  Maine,                            _            .            -            _ 

145 

Resolve  of  Legislature  of  Maine  for  Survey,            .            .            - 

146 

'•        "          "              "     authorising  Governor  to  ask  aid  of  U.  S. 

Gov.  346 

Speech  of  Judge  Whitman,              -            -                .            .            . 

17 

«'        Hon.  I.  R.  Chadbourne,             .            .            -            - 

18 

Gov.  Hubbard,          .            .            .            -            - 

18 

"         Hon.  R.  Rantoul,            .            .            .            .            g 

20 

W.  Watts,  Esq.                     .... 

76 

Hon.  J.  B.  Uniacke,                    .... 

77-119 

J.  C.  Hall,  Esq.                    .            .             .            - 

78 

"        Hon.  John  Appleton,        .            .            .            -            - 

80 

Hon.  L.  A.  Wilmot,               .... 

86-90 

"        Hon.  J.  W.  Johnson,                    .            .            .            . 

89 

J.  B.  Frazier,E8q.,                 .... 

91 

Hon.  E.  B.  Chandler, 

92 

Dr.  R.  Bayard,           .            -            -            -            . 

93 

J.  Bell  Forsyth,  Esq. 

93 

"        F.  R.  Angers,  Esq.       ..... 

96 

J.  H.  Gray,  Esq. 

95 

R.  B.  Dickey,  Esq.                .... 

101 

Hon.  J.  E.  Fairbanks,                    .... 

102 

J.  B.  N.  Kerr,  Esq.               .... 

103 

"        Hon.  Henry  Pryor,          ..... 

104-132 

Hon.  H.  A.  S.  Dearborn, 

109 

M.  H.  Perley,  Esq 

113 

"        Hon.  Charles  Fisher,            .... 

115 

Hon.  F.  0.  J.  Smith, 

116 

J.  S.  Little,  Esq.                   .... 

125 

Hon.  L  Washburn,  Jr.                .... 

126 

Hon.  Wm.  Wright,                .... 

129 

J.  McFarlane,  Esq.                          .            .            .            . 

129 

Noah  Smith,  Jr.  Esq.             .... 

130 

"        Stephen  Binney,  Esq.                     .             .             .            . 

130 

•'        Hon.  George  F.  Shepley,         .... 

131 

««        John  A.  Poor,  Esq.             .... 

133 

St.  John  city.  Meeting  at                ..... 

35 

St.  Stephens,         "...                         .             . 

37 

Stetson,  Hon.  C.  Leitc'.  of           ....             . 

68 

Silliman,  Prof.  B.        "  " 

61 

Soiyth,  Prof.  W.  Letter  of         ....            . 

«8 

155 


Samnor,  Chnrles,  F,ettcr  of      . 

66 

Smith,  Hon.  Albert     "                    .... 

.     67 

Sheldon,  Rev.  Dr.      " 

68 

Statistics  of  Tradf  in  Nova  Scotia, 

.     lOS 

Statistics  of  Trade  in  New  Brunswick, 

114 

Smith,  F.  O.  J.  Speech  of            ...            . 

116 

Shepley,  George  F.  Speech  of            ...            . 

181 

Survey  of  Major  Robinson,          .             .            .             .             . 

120 

*'       Capt.  Henderson,             .... 

120 

Survey  ordered  in  New  Brunswick,         .            .             .            . 

49 

Survey  ordered  in  iMaine,                .... 

146 

Surveys  of  Maine  and  New  Brunswick,  made  in  concert. 

146 

Trimble,  Major  I.  R.  Letter  of                  ... 

€9 

Uniacke,  Hon.  J.  B.  Speech  of            ...            . 

77-119 

Vessels  built  in  St.  John,            .             .            .             .            . 

114 

"         "      New  Brunswick, 

114 

"       Halifax,             ..... 

106 

"         "       Nova  Scotia,        .... 

106 

Whitehaven  Harbor,  advantages  of               ... 

4 

Whitman,  Hon.  Judge  Speech  of              .            .            . 

16 

Wallace,  Nova  Scotia,  meeting  at     . 

81 

"                "             Truro  of 

43 

Woodbury,  Hon.  Levi,  Letter  of       . 

60 

White,  Hon.  J.  W.,          "     "               ... 

67 

West  Thomas,                   "      "        . 

59 

Woods,  Rev.  Dr.              "     " 

67 

Walker,  R.J.                  "     "         . 

75 

Wilmot,  L.  A.,  Speech  of            ...            . 

.  86-90 

Washburn,  Hon.  L,  "  " 

186 

Wilkinson,  John,  Survey  in  N.  B.            .            . 

.       126 

Yonng,  John  Letter  of          ....            . 

66 

Voyage,  probable  length               .... 

100 

ERRATA. 

Page  IS,  last  line,  for  Wm.  If.  I'crloy,"  read  M.  If.  I'crley. 
61,  6th  line  from  top,  for  "Moatell"  read  Mantell. 
05j  15tli  "     •'      bottom,  for  "moved"  read  viewed. 
9tj,  7th    "     "      top,  for  "nalioMal"  read  natural. 
100,  3d  "     "      bottotn  for  "proceeded"  read  preceded. 
112,  loth  line  from  bottom,  for  "statute"  read  atutue. 
116,  22d     "      "     top,  for  "ell'ortH"  read  effects. 
124,  7lh     "      "     bottom,  for  "Bay  r     te"  read  Bay  Verte, 


